Latest news with #ImmanuelLutheranChurch
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bluefield hopes to rehabilitate former church
bluefield — Bluefield officials are still hoping to rehabilitate an old church located on Duhring Street. The former church, which is on the state's historic preservation list, has been vacant for a number of years now. It was founded in 1907 as the First Baptist Church. The structure is currently owned by the city of Bluefield, which is seeking to renovate the church as part of a larger vision for the area. That vision also includes new housing construction for first-time home buyers in the neighborhood near the church. 'The city does own the church outside of city hall. The Duhring Street Church,' City Manager Cecil Marson said. 'It's an old, old church. It has stained glass windows. It is a super nice church.' Marson said the city's goal is to rehabilitate the old church and find a new use for it, possibly as a job training site or small business incubator. The vision also includes new housing construction in the Duhring Street area, which also connects to Roger Street near city hall. The city is still searching for funding to complete the work. While the city was approved for an initial grant for the project, the funding agency that would have provided the grant was later terminated. Thus the city didn't receive the funding. The old First Baptist Church on Duhring Street isn't to be confused with the nearby Immanuel Lutheran Church, which is still an active congregation and is located at 103 Duhring Street. Both the old First Baptist Church and the Immanuel Lutheran Church are located adjacent to the municipal hall facilities in Bluefield. Marson said the search for new funding continues — not just for the church renovations but also for the housing project. 'Our focus is around it (the church) and a potential housing area for a first-time home buyer,' Marson said. Housing has been an issue of concern in the city in recent years. The Bluefield Board of Directors launched a study in 2024 on the city's housing needs in cooperation with Virginia Tech. That 2024 study identified a housing shortage in Bluefield and focused on housing needs in the city over the next five to 10 years. The church itself wouldn't be used for housing, but it could be utilized for job training or other purposes. Because of its designation as a historic structure, Marson said the city is limited in what changes can be made to the church itself. 'You can't make major changes to the facade,' Marson said. 'There is restrictions on what you can do. They have to have oversight of it.' For example, the city will have to contract with a professional firm to make repairs to the stain glass windows inside of the old church. 'We would need to bring in a professional to look at those,' Marson said of the stain glass windows. 'They would need to be cleaned and redone. It would have to be kind of a professional stain-glass person who can restore that.' While it may appear unusual for a city to own a former church, Marson said it really isn't — pointing to a similar situation in Northern West Virginia. 'I don't think it is unusual,' he said. 'Cities inherently get a lot of property that is in bad shape. I'm sure there are tons of cities across the country that have churches in their portfolios.' The city has owned the church for a number of years. Marson said the old church went through different owners throughout the years, and was associated with the Baptist denomination. Finding additional funding to renovate the former church, and to launch the new housing project, is the next step for the city. 'We are working on stuff right now, different grants, putting some stuff together,' Marson said. 'We are working to try to get the funding so we can start this project. We are actively working on it right now.' The old church isn't the only historic structure owned by the city, or a city-affiliated commission. Marson said the Bluefield Arts and Revitalization Commission also owns the old Traveler's Hotel, which is located near the Raleigh Street Cinemas. The old hotel was originally a Green Book property offering lodging to Black travelers during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. In 1950 it was converted into an office building and offered some dining in the 1980s and 1990s. It is currently vacant although BARC is hoping to revitalize it. The Bluefield Arts and Revitalization Commission also owns the Granada Theater, a historic structure that was brought back to life by the commission a number of years ago. The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, the statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the state's historic places and properties, recently announced the recipients of the 2025 West Virginia Historic Preservation Awards, and the Bluefield Arts and Revitalization Commission, or BARC for short, was one of the recipients. BARC received the Adaptive Reuse Award for its efforts to revitalize the old Granada Theater, along with the adjoining Raleigh Street Cinemas and Education Center. The Granada Theater originally opened in 1927 at its current location on 537 Commerce Street. It was originally used as a Vaudeville and movie theater, and at one time was even a dance club. The venue is currently used for cinema and live performances. The Granada Theater was recently added to the West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail. That statewide trail was designed to promote cultural tourism by showcasing the state's diverse theatrical heritage Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local event tackles immigration misconceptions, fears, and concerns
EAU CLAIRE — Immigration has been a tough issue in the United States for at least the past two decades, said panelist and immigration lawyer Amanda Gennerman at an event hosted by The League of Women Voters-Greater Chippewa Valley Tuesday evening. 'I haven't found the perfect administration yet, whether it's a Democrat or a Republic in power,' Gennerman said. 'I thought things couldn't be worse, but here we are.' Gennerman has been working in immigration law since 2003 and expressed frustration at the broken system, the current rhetoric, and the hundreds of immigration executive orders coming from the White House since January 20. 'I suddenly had to pick up the Constitution again and go, 'What are the rights, again, of individuals who are coming in at the border?'' she said. 'I didn't think I had to be a constitutional scholar, nor do I consider myself one.' Gennerman spoke about what the challenges had been before, how the system was broken, and why so many immigrants have struggled to maneuver through the system before discussing the current hurdles, battles, and fears immigrants are facing today. 'I think people get wrapped up in a concept of 'Why can't people just do it the right way?'' she said. 'The idea of this is a system that if we just get in line and follow the rules, it would be very orderly, but it's a broken system. It has been for 20 years.' She expressed that the complexity of the legal system is challenging enough for her to navigate. 'It's hard enough for me to digest what I think I've understood for 20 years, and then to relay that to the communities that I'm working with through interpreters [and] people crying. People are afraid. This is the reality of the communities that we are working with. Every community is feeling this in a very different way, and my job is to try to digest that and explain it along the way.' Other panelists included John Rosenow, owner of Rosenholm Dairy; David Anderson, former pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and a member of the Immigration Task Force; and Elizabeth Hart, executive director of Literacy Chippewa Valley. Several topics were discussed including immigrant farming, language barriers and challenges to getting a driver's license and the implications contained therein. It was also mentioned during the question-and-answer session that so far more people have been deported under the Biden administration than the Trump administration, but that the approach the Trump administration is extremely concerning with the future uncertain. The event was hosted by the League of Women Voters-Greater Chippewa Valley and co-sponsored with the American Association of University Women, JONAH, Literacy Chippewa Valley, and the Wisconsin Farmers Union. The event took place at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Golf Road.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Historic Kansas church moved for the second time
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KSNW) — For the second time in its 120-year history, a Kansas church building is on the move. The Immanuel Lutheran Church in Hoisington has been moved to an events center in Great Bend. The Great Bend Post reports that the church will be used to host weddings and other events indoors at the Corinthians Hill Event Center. The church, which can seat about 300 people, was originally built in the Russell County community of Milberger, a town settled by Volga Germans. The Volga German Institute says the congregation was first organized in 1901, and the church was constructed in 1904. 2 strangers get into Sedgwick school, despite safety measures Services were conducted in German until 1950, when English language services were incorporated. They were then dropped altogether in 1968. In 1969, Immanuel Lutheran and the neighboring Emmanuel Lutheran Church merged into a single congregation, United Emmanuel Lutheran Church. The building was sold in 1969 and moved to a property just south of Hoisington on the east side of U.S. Highway 281. The church was loaded onto the bed of a semitrailer and transported to its new home about 7 miles southwest. The Great Bend Post says the building will undergo renovations. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
