MAYFIELD - The Mayfield Presbyterian Church plans to break ground on its new church building Sunday, a little more than a year after the former church burned down.
The church, working with Foresight Architects of Schenectady, will begin to move dirt at 11 a.m.
The church's new structure will provide off-street parking and have the flexibility to seat more than 200 people. ?The one-story church will be 7,444 square feet and include an attic, a sanctuary and space for a fellowship hall. The building will include a nursery, two classrooms, a choir room, a small conference room, several closet spaces, a food pantry, a kitchen and offices.
Article Photos
Firefighters fight the Mayfield Presbyterian Church fire April 28, 2011.
File photo
The exterior will be composite-material siding. A?cupola with a cross and lightning protection will sit atop the building.
The reaction to the designs by Foresight have been positive from the congregation, according to the church's pastor, the Rev. Bonnie Orth.
"We were very much looking forward to the groundbreaking, to moving forward and we're hoping to have some volunteers to help us and we're just excited to be back in the sanctuary," Orth said.
The former church at 22 N. Main St. was destroyed during a storm April 28, 2011. Lightning struck the bell, destroying it, and setting the structure on fire.
The adjacent fellowship hall was badly damaged, and church officials later demolished it.
James Hundt of Foresight Architects was inspired by the congregation's outlook.
"It's very difficult. We have worked with one or two other congregations who have gone through the same thing. I really admire their spirit to be so quick in making the decision to rebuild," Hundt said.
"We've had a very active, growing congregation," said Orth's husband, Jay Orth.
Since the fire, the church has been having its services in the Mayfield High School auditorium.
Neither the Rev. Orth nor Hundt could say for certain when the new church will be completed, although Hundt previously said the work may take six to eight months.
The project may cost $1.3 million. The church has been raising money for the project.
Excavation will begin the day after the groundbreaking ceremony.
Previously, members of the church said they hope to celebrate Easter in the new church building. The last service held in the nearly 200-year-old sanctuary before it burned was the 2011 Easter service.
Arthur Cleveland can be reached at montco@leaderherald.com