IPSWICH, Mass. — More than seven years ago, the future of the Living Faith United Methodist Church in Ipswich looked bleak.
The entire ceiling in the sanctuary collapsed without warning.
This Sunday, that dark chapter comes to an end, and a new one will begin.
The church has been a fixture in Ipswich since 1859 and was part of the Underground Railroad.
Reverend Adam Randazzo said the sanctuary of the church looked like a war zone when he arrived on the scene on May 25, 2018.
“It was a disaster. The pews were all destroyed, and then come to find out, it was all asbestos that came in. That added a whole different layer, so that was shocking to say the least.”
The Reverand was initially just grateful the building was empty, and no one was hurt.
“After I got over that fear, I got over the fear of what’s next, like what do we do next? How do we rebuild a place like this? They don’t train you for this in seminary.”
The church community was committed to saving the building, but it turned out to be a big job.
“We had to get brought up to code for handicap accessibility. That was the hardest challenge. Where do we put elevators in a building that’s 150 plus years old?”
One by one, problems were overcome, and the church will have a grand re-opening at 9 a.m. on December 7.
“It’s going to be exciting,” said Dan Demers, a trustee of the church.
“It was very discouraging at times, but I wrote it down in my prayer book. God is bigger than any of the problems we have.”
The restored building will also be available to the broader community.
For example, pews will be replaced by chairs to allow the space to accommodate a wider range of activities.
Dan Lovy of the Ipswich Community House said, “I also represent a local orchestra, and we’ll be doing 2-3 concerts here per year. I’m affiliated with the Ipswich Art Association, and you can imagine art shows.”
Getting the building to the finish line was a long trek for the Reverand, but he says every step was worth it.
“I can’t wait for December 7th. It makes me cry to think about it. Actually, tears of joy for everything that’s about to happen, and what we’ve gone through.”
The overall cost of the renovation is about three million dollars.
Initial estimates got blown out of the water when that asbestos was detected in the debris.
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