New construction plans a go at DeKalb First United Methodist Church

DeKALB - DeKalb First United Methodist Church was given the all-clear by the DeKalb City Council this week to move forward with its plan to build a new church on North Annie Glidden Road.

The church has been a 317 N. Fourth St., at the corner of North Fourth Street and Oak Street for more than a century.

The City Council voted, 8-0, to approve final plans for the church’s move to a 10,986-square-foot building at 2501 N. Annie Glidden Road, across from the DeKalb County Health Facility Campus, according to city documents.

Sherry Uhrich, Youth Missions Coordinator at First Methodist Church, said during the Monday council meeting that the church’s current building is “not a safe building.”

“We have lots of stairways. We have lots of hallways,” Uhrich said. “We have all the challenges that go along with a 114-year-old building and an older congregation.”

Uhrich said the church’s new building has been 20 years in the making, with the bulk of the planning happening in the past couple of years.

“We hope to put this beautiful building on the north side of town when people come in there,” Uhrich said.

Rev. Jonathan Crail, senior pastor for the church, echoed Uhrich’s public comments during the Monday meeting.

“In the interest of time, I’ll just say ‘Amen’ to what Sherry said,” Crail told the council. “Thank you for your support.”

The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved the plans a week ago. The church’s rezoning request was approved in July 2020 and has evolved to include removing a steeple to lower the height of the planned building, originally proposed to scale 86 feet.

“Now it’s going to be about 52-feet high,” City Manager Bill Nicklas said. “That particular architectural feature has been removed from the building plan.”

According to the outlined development plans, the new church will consist of dark charcoal fiber cement siding and aluminum storefront windows. The church was a light tan color during the conceptual plan process.

The church will have a 240-seat sanctuary and 65 parking spots.

First Ward Alderwoman Carolyn Morris said she previously met Crail during community outreach events in the past couple of years.

“It was really encouraging to see them already diving in on what was going on in the neighborhood years before this building came to fruition,” Morris said. “So I welcome them and I’m excited to see them move forward with us.”

DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes offered his congratulations to the congregation.

“Looking forward to seeing the project, can’t wait for the ribbon cutting and can’t wait for the grand tour when you’re completed,” Barnes told church staff.

Crail said the church hopes to put the project out for bid and select a contractor by next month. He said the hope is to break ground on the project sometime in April and move in within a year.

“We’re thrilled to see unanimous support of City Council and mayor,” Crail said. “And we’re excited to be moving to the Annie Glidden North neighborhood and be a new partner to help revitalize that part of the community.”