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Church addition celebrated

A Spring Valley Twp. congregation will host a festival on Saturday.

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By Sue Moning, Contributing Writer 11:06 AM Wednesday, September 9, 2009

SPRING VALLEY TWP., Greene County — They have built it, and now the congregation hopes the crowds will come.

Members of the Richland-Crumley United Methodist Church in Spring Valley Twp. are hosting a Gospel Song Fest to celebrate an addition to the church, which until recently was a one-room house of worship. The festival is planned from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at the church, which sits at the corner of Richland and Elam roads.

“It sits on an acre of land we call ‘God’s Corner,’ ” said church member Joan Baxter.

The church family may be small — 25 or 30 members — but they want the celebration to be big.

Live music performances are planned by five gospel music groups, including Peaceful Mountain, Willow Creek, The Williams Family, The Fishermen and Kindred Faith, Baxter said.

The event is free. but donations will be accepted. The church needs funding for for the one-room addition at the rear of the original church, Baxter said.

Established in 1860, the church completed its one-room sanctuary in 1861 on an acre of land donated for the construction. Little has changed inside the building, which still has hard, wooden pews for seating, Baxter said.

People planning to attend the gospel music fest may bring their lawn chairs for the events. Members also will hold a silent auction, which will offer seasons passes for Kings Island, handmade afghans, books and gift certificates, Baxter said.

Baxter said church members wanted to build the addition 40 years ago, and actually had a bequest to fund it after the 1974 tornado that destroyed much of Xenia. Plans remained on the shelf until recently, when the congregation received two $10,000 contributions from the John and Barbara Meyer Foundation. About five years ago, congregation members started donating funds for the addition on a regular basis.

A well and septic system were completed, and construction began in 2008. Much of the labor to build the addition was provided by Scott Abel, a member of the congregation, Baxter said.

Though small, the congregation considers itself a family, Baxter said. “The congregation has been the drive behind this,” she said.

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