Since 1919, the St. Paul United Church of Christ just outside of Marlin has welcomed people in to worship, but shifting soil beneath it threatens its future. The pressure on the walls is causing them to crack which puts the whole building in danger.
"I think it would be a great loss to this community but also to the public at large," church secretary Clark Flentge said.
Church members call their building the beacon on the hill, because they light up its steeple at night making it easily visible from Highway 6. Pastor Ludy Manthei says everyone is invited to visit the church.
"One salesman who goes from Houston to Waco on a regular basis was going through a personal experience and having trouble. And I got an email from him saying thank you for having this space here, so he could stop and spend some time with God. And it was a great help to him," Manthei said.
An architect is working with church members to come up with a solution to the shifting soil problem. Repair estimates are over $300,000. Church members are doing all they can to raise that money. There have been bake sales. Members are also selling a cook book and a book with historical pictures in it.
"Oh perish the thought!" fund raising chairperson Anna Polster says of the possibility of losing the church. "I just can't imagine what it would be to lose the church. And if we don't repair it very quick it's going to be gone."
If you'd like to make a donation you can mail it to the church: St. Paul UCC, P.O. Box 534, Marlin, TX 76661.
There's also a page on www.gofundme.com under St. Paul church, Marlin in which you can donate.
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