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Church breaks ground on new ministry center  Share
On August 16, Beecher Community Church will break ground for its new ministry center on Church Road. Established in 1872, Beecher Community Church is on the corner of Penfield and Elliott, its home for 137 years. ''This ground breaking is a historic event for our congregation and our community,'' Pastor Brandon Markette remarked, ''Over the past 10 years, we've seen God do some amazing things to bring us to this point.'' Ten years ago, the congregation first recognized its growing need for new facilities. With limited space and an aging building, expansion and growth are greatly limited. However, as a small congregation, funding a new building seemed impossible. Then, 10 acres along Route 1 was donated to the church. This wonderful gift encouraged the congregation to begin raising the money for a new building. One hurdle became evident, quickly. To build on Route 1, the state would require the church to install a turning lane on the highway. The cost of that improvement placed any new construction out of reach.
''That was a discouraging time for our building program,'' Church Treasurer Peter Gomben recalls, ''We knew we had to find somewhere else to build, but didn't know where to look.'' After years of prayer and looking for different parcels of land, Providence smiled upon the small congregation again. ''I got a call one day from a couple of men who wanted to trade parcels of land. They were working on developing their farm into a subdivision and wanted a church to be involved. So, we worked out the land trade and now we are right next to Beecher Jr. High School,'' Pastor Markette said. The rest, as they say, is history. With a suitable piece of land and a growing building fund, the congregation contacted numerous builders. Eventually they settled on Morton Buildings. After a year-long design process, the congregation voted to begin construction and after breaking ground, its hopes to move into the new facility this winter. Russell Publications prints several community newspapers each week, serving Will, Kankakee and Cook counties.
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