Hopedale church celebrates in long-awaited building

By Ed Banks Harrison News-Herald Staff Writer

HOPEDALE — When you are put in the position of moving to a new place of worship, one of your earliest thoughts may be imagining how a different building would compare to your current one.

You may drift into thoughts of how your parents and family members worshiped in your current location.

The non-spiritual impediments for older buildings are age and size. Regardless, moves are sometimes necessary and can be a good experience. With always-changing health and safety standards, how a new or different church building appears both outwardly and inwardly is far different from the traditional country churches many grew up in.

Such a transition recently occurred for the members and clergy of the Hopedale Church of Christ on High Street. The church has been anticipating this move for a few years.

In 2016, those plans were put in motion. The church purchased a new building at 306 Lahm Dr., and on Aug. 19, a service was held at the site with the church leaders, pastor, and many of the church’s congregation. The youth of the membership were also at the ceremonies, and several were participants in the actual dedication program. With the early phase of construction underway, the group held hands, prayed, and many wrote their favorite scriptures on the foundation materials.

Looking back on the history of the Hopedale Christian Church, from 1823-1830, the church building was located in Cadiz. During that period, it was identified as a Baptist congregation under the Baptist Rules of Order.

Around 1830, the Baptist identity was removed and it became a Disciple’s congregation and Christians only. Then the church relocated to what is now the Greenwood Cemetery about a mile west of the village. There the congregation became known as the “Church at Greene.”

Fast forward to 1880, the hurch once again relocated inside Hopedale and to High Street. The building remains there, but the congregation has moved to the new location, and to this day they have been known as the Hopedale Church of Christ.

“This most recent move to Lahm Drive in Hopedale is the fulfillment of a dream to keep growing that began more than 80 years ago,” reflected Pastor Dean Blythe. “At some point, there became a search for land and an opportunity to relocate in our ongoing desire to serve our community for the cause of Christ.

“In 2016, we purchased what was then the ‘Professional Building’ here at 306 Lahm Dr.. Previously, the building was used as a doctor’s office, with three physicians occupying the structure. Renovation on the building began with Blythe Construction, while financial backing came from Christian Financial Resources. The building project has been a work of