The community is invited to the Grand Opening & Dedication of Phase 1 of Port Clinton Bible Methodist Church on Aug. 25. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

Pastor Deron Fourman wants his church’s new building to impact the community. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

For months, locals have watched with curiosity as construction workers filtered in and out of the former grocery store on Maple Street behind the Port Clinton Plaza. The community is invited to step inside to see what the yearlong activity was all about. Port Clinton Bible Methodist Church will host the Grand Opening & Dedication of Phase 1 of its new church building on Aug. 25.

The church had an inconspicuous start. In March of 1996, a handful of families began meeting in a Port Clinton home for prayer and Bible study. By July, 1998, the group had grown big enough to rent a storefront. They named the church Pilgrim Chapel.

In June, 2000, Pastor Deron Fourman was hired as the new pastor, and the church’s name was changed to Port Clinton Bible Methodist Church. After a few moves, the church settled at its current location at 150 Maple across the street from the new building in August, 2004. The new, 32,000-square-foot building at 147 Maple St. was purchased, along with about three acres, in June, 2021.

On Aug. 25, the church will celebrate the first phase of the building’s extensive remodeling project which was completed by Schmid Architects and includes a large, combined sanctuary and fellowship hall, kitchen and bathrooms. The dedication will begin at 10 a.m. and will be followed by a meal and tours of the remaining part of the facility, which will eventually become the permanent 300-seat sanctuary, Sunday School classrooms, an office and outreach ministry space.

Outreach is a foundational mission of the church, which will continue its popular Kids Club ministry in the new building. Kids Club, which is held on Wednesdays when school is in session, serves about 80 kids each week.

This before photo of the Port Clinton Bible Methodist Church shows the building as it looked as a grocery store. (Photo submitted)

“We bus them here, feed them a hot meal, and teach them,” Fourman said.

Foreman hopes the new building will become a community space where locals can find help, friendship and fun. In the process, he hopes they can recognize God’s love.

Future plans for the building include utilizing the space for community events and the addition of a food and clothing pantry.

“I envision 3-on-3 basketball here. I want this to be about more than just Sunday,” he said.

The church building across the street was sold to Heartbeat of Ottawa County, which will move into its new space when the church moves out.

“It will be great to have that ministry across the street. We want to partner with them,” Fourman said.

Pastor Deron Fourman stands in the fellowship hall of Port Clinton Bible Methodist Church. The building once housed a grocery store. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

The sale of the old church building helped fund renovations in the new one. The project is also being funded by utilizing some of the space as heated, winter boat storage, which is managed by Ship Shape Marine. Fourman said the city “worked tremendously” with the church as they worked to transform some of the building into boat storage.

“We’ve had miracles of donations,” Fourman said. “And the owner of the plaza worked with us on the sale. He wanted to make sure we didn’t collapse financially after we bought it.”

Many in the community helped Port Clinton Bible Methodist Church open the doors of its new building. Now, it hopes to become a place of support for the community. The little living room church is becoming a 32,000-square-foot place of refuge and refreshment for local residents.

“We want to make an impact on the community,” Fourman said. “It’s not about being big. It’s about being accessible. We want to serve the community.”

Everyone is invited to attend the Grand Opening & Dedication service, meal and tours on Aug. 25 at 10 a.m. at 147 Maple St. in Port Clinton.