St. Mary’s ‘opens her red doors’: Episcopal Church announces expansion plans
Lead Summary
By
Courtesy of Rev. Judi Wiley-
“We are a downtown church. Hillsboro is our home. The Episcopal Church has had a presence in Hillsboro since 1854. This is home.” Those are the first words out of Rev. Judi Wiley’s mouth when asked why the church cares so much about Hillsboro.
“We are the only Episcopal Church in town, and we care about this community,” Rev. Wiley said.
St. Mary’s has graced the corner of High Street and West North Street for over 161 years. When St. Mary’s was built in 1855, there were horse-drawn carriages bringing the parishioners down dirt unpaved streets. It was a time of growth and newness. Soon, the Civil War exploded, and Hillsboro stood her ground. So did St. Mary’s.
Soon the “church with the red doors” will be expanding. The small congregation has decided to open those red doors and serve the community where needed.
An addition will be built where the large white house stands now, next to the strip mall. The house has a colorful history but through the years was remodeled with lead paint and asbestos siding. This made it unsafe for expansion and unsuitable for the church’s needs.
“We don’t want to always look to our past to find our worth,” Rev. Wiley said. “We want to look ahead to what God wants us to do.”
So, in the near future, the white building will be removed and the addition begins. There will be a full basement space to house a specific ministry to children and families in Highland County. Research is being completed to provide a before-school and after-school program for children. Plans are also being made to include a preschool program in the near future.
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The ground-level first floor will house the Sunday School classrooms and a space for children’s groups to meet, such as scouting programs, 4-H groups and other civic groups.
The top floor will house the church offices, a large meeting room and a conference room, open to public use. An elevator will access all three levels, and all three levels will be ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant.
“We, the members of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, think this will serve Hillsboro in many ways, and we consider all we do as ministry and not just business,” Rev. Wiley said. “It is our mission to serve and care for all of God’s people.”
Construction will begin this summer with the demolition of the white house and construction of the new space. The local architect is Darin S. Schweickart, RA, NCARB of DS2 Architects, and the church will be using local contractors.
“We are the only Episcopal Church in town, and we care about this community,” Rev. Wiley said.
St. Mary’s has graced the corner of High Street and West North Street for over 161 years. When St. Mary’s was built in 1855, there were horse-drawn carriages bringing the parishioners down dirt unpaved streets. It was a time of growth and newness. Soon, the Civil War exploded, and Hillsboro stood her ground. So did St. Mary’s.
Soon the “church with the red doors” will be expanding. The small congregation has decided to open those red doors and serve the community where needed.
An addition will be built where the large white house stands now, next to the strip mall. The house has a colorful history but through the years was remodeled with lead paint and asbestos siding. This made it unsafe for expansion and unsuitable for the church’s needs.
“We don’t want to always look to our past to find our worth,” Rev. Wiley said. “We want to look ahead to what God wants us to do.”
So, in the near future, the white building will be removed and the addition begins. There will be a full basement space to house a specific ministry to children and families in Highland County. Research is being completed to provide a before-school and after-school program for children. Plans are also being made to include a preschool program in the near future.
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The ground-level first floor will house the Sunday School classrooms and a space for children’s groups to meet, such as scouting programs, 4-H groups and other civic groups.
The top floor will house the church offices, a large meeting room and a conference room, open to public use. An elevator will access all three levels, and all three levels will be ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant.
“We, the members of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, think this will serve Hillsboro in many ways, and we consider all we do as ministry and not just business,” Rev. Wiley said. “It is our mission to serve and care for all of God’s people.”
Construction will begin this summer with the demolition of the white house and construction of the new space. The local architect is Darin S. Schweickart, RA, NCARB of DS2 Architects, and the church will be using local contractors.