November 5, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
A local church has put an estate donation of $25,000 to good use.
Larry Steffee, pastor of the Center Hill Brethren in Christ Church on Miller Road, said the congregation will have a dedication service Sunday, November 10 starting at 11 a.m. to commemorate recent renovations to the church building thanks to an estate gift from the late Bobbye Jean Page Thomas.
“We started the church 25 years ago and earlier this year we were contacted by Jan Thomas who said that her mother wanted to give us a gift from her estate. Mrs. Bobbye Jean Page Thomas passed away in 2023. She (Jan) got it all worked out and sent us a check in the mail for $25,000,” said Steffee.
The dedication service will be much like a homecoming, and everyone is invited to join in the celebration including anyone who has ever been part of the church over its 25-year history. Local ventriloquist David Turner and Friends will be the featured guest.
“We’ll have a dedication service Sunday, November 10 and the lady (Jan Thomas) whose mother (Bobbye Jean) gave us the gift will attend. She grew up in the Brethren in Christ Church as a child but later started attending a different church. She has lived in different areas of the United States as well. (Bobbye Jean) gave similar gifts to other churches as well where they had attended over the years,” said Steffee.
Money from the estate donation went into fixing up the church building.
“We had a problem with one end of the building with a leak that came under the wall when it would rain hard from the west so we decided put all new siding on the outside of the building to take care of that,” said Steffee. “We put board and batten which is a vinyl vertical siding all around the church and we eliminated an entrance door and window in the process that we didn’t need. We had some new vinyl and metal put on the steeple which a member had made several years ago. We repainted the foyer and worship areas and put in all new flooring in that area. We also put new LED lights in the worship area and did some other miscellaneous things. They went over the metal roof and changed out all the screws so we wouldn’t have trouble with leaks or wind damage in the future,” he said.
Again, Steffee invites the community to attend this special dedication service Sunday, November 10 at 11 a.m. at the Center Hill Brethren in Christ Church on Miller Road.