Bishop Keaton to visit Carrier Mills First United Methodist Sunday

The First United Methodist church of Carrier Mills will receive a visit from the Methodist Bishop for Illinois, Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton on Sunday, Oct. 27.

Keaton is visiting the church to mark the opening of the church's new parsonage and will be preaching the morning service at 9:20 a.m. The parsonage replaces the old parsonage which was in a house built in 1900 and owned by the church since 1927.

"It's been a parsonage for 86 years," said Stan Irvin, current Pastor at First United Methodist. "During that time, there have been 24 minister who lived there."

The new parsonage is a 2,000 square foot house built on the eastern edge of Carrier Mills, a home the church provides for members of the clergy. The new parsonage has four bedrooms and two baths and is fully handicapped accessible.

The oversized garage equipped with a wheelchair ramp and the hallways and rooms are larger for easier accessibility for wheelchairs.

Plans for the new parsonage began nearly 60 years ago, but funding and site availability did not come together until recently.

"Our church first started thinking about a new parsonage around 1955," Irvin said. "It seems like recently all the factors lined up. We had a person who passed away and left the money for the building, a family in the church donated the land and we were able to sell the old parsonage."

With proceeds from the sale and donations, along with fundraisers and gifts, the 184 member congregation was able to build the new home, valued at $231,000 without financing or debt.

"When you can do it that way, it takes a big load of the church," Irvin said.

Irvin has mixed feelings about leaving the old parsonage.

"It has so many stories with it, it is sad to leave. It's like saying goodbye to an old friend," he said.

Irvin is looking forward to living in the new parsonage though he plans to use it as a place to minister as well as live. He looks forward to it serving as an extended church facility, a place for small church gatherings and church related social events.

"I want the parsonage to give the feeling that it is a comfortable place for people to gather." Irvin said, adding, "that is once I get unpacked."