A pair of Shawano churches whose congregations agreed last month to merge have decided on a new name.
Members of First Presbyterian Church and Peace United Church of Christ voted Oct. 12 that the new name of their federated church will be Fellowship Church of Shawano.
“In August and September, we asked for suggestions,” said Bob Smits, council president at Peace UCC. “We had just over a dozen to choose from and we narrowed it down from there.”
The idea for a new name was to offer a new identity, while still acknowledging the legacy of the two churches and their history in the community.
“We don’t want to erase the history of the churches,” Smits said.
He said it’s important the new church continues to credit the denominations of the two merged churches, particularly for someone new to the community who may be looking for a Presbyterian or UCC congregation.
First Presbyterian is located at 100 Presbyterian St., and Peace UCC is at 208 E. Maurer St.
Both churches are up for sale, and officials are searching for a new, neutral location.
“Until we determine our new location, services will alternate between the two churches,” Smith said. “We’ll be at Peace on Oct. 26, First Presbyterian on Nov. 2 and so on.”
Membership at First Presbyterian is 52 with about 2o of those being active members. Membership at Peace UCC is fewer than 200 people with roughly 60-70 active members.
Leaders of both churches realized if each congregation continued in the current manner, both would run out of money and be closed for good within three to six years.
The new name, which will be introduced over the next few months, will become official Jan. 1, regardless of the church’s location.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
