The Old Welsh Congregational Church, located on Elm Street across from St. Columba Cathedral, is the oldest religious building in the downtown area. Built in 1861, the congregation worshipped there for over 100 years. In 1976, the Reverend Andrew Redmond and his congregation of 50 bought the church and renamed it The Messiah Holiness Church of God in Christ. They remained there until a fire in 1997. They were offered space in the St. Columba Cathedral for the congregation to continue its worship. Reverend Redmond looks forward to the day they can return to the old church building.
Some of the church has been restored, but much remains to be done. The siding still needs to be replaced on the outside and the windows need to be replaced.
As one of the oldest religious building in the area still at its original location, this is an important building and needs to be saved. A group of carpentars led by Dave Andello has contributed many hours to putting the church back in good repair. If you are interested in helping out, give Dave a call at 746-0551.
1 comment:
I'm really appreciative for your blog. I spent my college years in Youngstown, grew up about an hour away from it in a little farm town, and also did my graduate work there. I just sold my first novel recently, much of which takes place in Y-town. In fact, the second half of the book takes place in the Old Welsh Congregational Church, where two runaway boys squat for a while. I'm living outside of the country at the moment, so I tend to visit this site for pictures of home. Thanks for that.
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