Dedication at FUMC Thompson Facility Finally Realized

A dedication ceremony for First United Methodist Church on Thompson Boulevard was held Sunday afternoon, followed by a reception at 916 Thompson Blvd.

Lead Pastor Candace Fowler led the service, with several special guests, including Bishop Robert Farr from Columbia, Executive Pastor Christopher Wisener (family ministries), Dr. Becky Imhauser and Mi Hyeon Lee, district superintendent of the north central region.

Pastor Fowler said that the dedication was a culmination of years of planning after the devastating fire that destroyed the FUMC’s downtown location at 4th and Osage in 2016.

2019 was supposed to be the year that the Thompson location was finished, Pastor Fowler said, but construction was not complete until 2020, due to shortage of materials and other factors.

The church opened for six weeks.

Then Covid-19 hit in March of 2020, which brought everything to a standstill, including large gatherings like the ones at big churches all across the world.

“So even in the struggle of finally seeing this day come, was the testimony of just the beauty from the ashes. And even though it doesn’t happen on our timeline, there’s still a future and a hope. The people who worked tirelessly a hundred years ago, were doing it for people they will never meet. And the same for us, we hope that is a place of worship for years and years to come,” Pastor Fowler told KSIS.

She added that she was pleased with the turnout and a very special day for those members who spent so much time and energy at the downtown facility. FUMC also has a very popular location at 1701 West 32nd called Celebration Center. It also is the site of numerous community events throughout the week and serves as a polling place on election day.

Weekly attendance at FUMC in Sedalia is between 550 and 600. That does not include the little ones or youth, Pastor Fowler said. There are four services between the two facilities and members and visitors are free to attend any service at either location. The same pastor preaches all four services, she noted. The only difference may be in the music style that worshippers hear.

To finally see the dedication ceremony take place brought about a huge sigh of relief to Pastor Fowler. “We feel like some of the hiccups are over, and we can just go forward. Now some of the projects are done, and we are thankful for that,” she concluded.

During her speech, Pastor Fowler noted that the service was not just a dedication of the building, but also a dedication of ourselves.