The Church Trustee Board funded the cleaning and coating of the corrugated roof of the Middletown Community United Methodist Church Sanctuary and Pioneer Hall, which now match the restored bell tower. Photo courtesy of Voris Brumfield.

Nearly eight years ago the bell tower/steeple was in significant disrepair, a situation that threatened the possible removal of the tower, just as the Lower Lake Methodist Church was required to downsize their steeple in the 1980s.

However, four years ago the bell tower was saved, reinforced and rebuilt funded from donations in memory of Richard Brumfield and the estate of Inez Larmar.

It was an important project but only dealt with part of the roof structure. The corrugated panels on the church, one of the few buildings to survive the 1900 fire that burned nearly all of downtown Middletown, was showing age with rapidly expanded rusting of the roof.

Through long-range planning, the Church Trustee Board funded the cleaning and coating of the corrugated roof of the Sanctuary and Pioneer Hall to match the bell tower.

“We are thrilled with the final product,” said Floydean Greenlow, chair of the Church Trustee Board. “This has been a project we have wanted to complete and needed for many years. Contractor Lyle Madeson did an outstanding job for us.”

Madeson also cleaned, sealed and repainted the outside wood frames on all the stained glass windows of the Sanctuary and Pioneer Hall.

The Middletown Community United Methodist Church is located at 15388 Armstrong St.

For more information about activities, services and programs, phone 987-3379.

Middletown Community United Methodist Church before the new coating on its roof. Photo courtesy of Voris Brumfield.

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