Joel Heinz hopes the pews are filled one last time during Sunday's final service at Dawson United Methodist Church.
“We just encourage people to come. It'd be nice to see the place full again,” he said. “I know we're going to see some people that we haven't seen for a while and that's going to be nice. That's going to be kind of like a homecoming deal.”
Heinz, the church board administrative chair, said declining membership numbers led to the decision to close the church.
“That was a hard decision to make, but you could kind of see the writing on the wall,” he said, as members moved away or older members died and no new members were coming in.
“The membership has dwindled and we knew that we weren't really being as faithful as we needed to be by being selfish and keeping the church open for just the few people that were attending,” his wife, Denise Heinz, added. “But it was very sad. It's been pretty emotional.”
The church opened its doors in 1895 as the United Brethren Church and has served as the only church in Dawson over the years.
The name was changed to the Evangelical United Brethren Church before being updated again to the Dawson United Methodist Church.
The church has seen a number of changes over the years. The church burned in March of 1934. Within a year, a basement was dug and a roof was installed so services could continue. The upper story was built in 1938. The most recent change was the enclosure of the front stairs.
Bill Kempf has been part of the church since he was five. He attended Sunday School, went to church services and was married in the church. He’s been a part of many projects over the years, including painting the church, adding ceiling fans and more.
His last project includes working on removing the bell. Kempf would like to see the bell removed and placed at the railroad depot near the Raccoon River Valley Trail. Though he said it will depend on what will happen with the church building.
A final free-will sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 1. The conference will decide the fate of the building, whether it will be sold or torn down.
“It’s been there a long time, a lot of history behind it. It’s been remodeled, burnt, and brought back,” Kempf said of the church.
Denise Heinz has been a member of the church for almost 50 years.
“Some really important life events have happened there. I was confirmed into the church and knew that's where I wanted my church home to be,” she said. “My husband and I got married there. Our kids were baptized there and they were confirmed into the church.”
Joel Heinz has been attending church in Dawson since he was in kindergarten. He remembers the church ice cream socials, Vacation Bible School programs and more.
“There's a lot of memories,” he said. “Just the camaraderie, the fun of being with all your neighbors and the fellowship. That sticks out the most.”
Denise Heinz encourages others to share their memories of the church during the final service, potluck meal and hymn sing on Sunday. Everyone is welcome, she said, including current and former members or those who had family members who were a part of the church.
“We would like to have them come and if they had pictures of events that happened at the church they can bring them for the day to share,” Denise Heinz added. “We know that there's a lot of history in the church and a lot of people with family ties and everything.”
The final church service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 25. Lunch will be served following the service. RSVPs are requested for the meal by calling 515-428-8488. A hymn sing will follow the lunch.
“We welcome everybody,” Kempf said of Sunday’s church service.
The doors will then close for the final time.
“It's going to be a little emotional, but it's also going to be like we did God's work and it's just time to move on, time to go do something else,” Joel Heinz said.
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Dawson United Methodist Church to close its doors after 128 years - Des Moines Register
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