By Kimberly Gasuras
CCN Reporter
BUCYRUS — Ninety-seven-year-old Martha Smith and Thelma Willet, 95, made their way to Wayside Chapel recently to do the honors of putting the first strokes of paint on the walls of the church’s new addition.
The ladies are two of the founding members of the church.
“There were four other families that helped start the church,” Smith said. “We wanted a place to worship and decided to start a new church.”
That was in 1963, and ten years later, the church created the Wayside Christian School that is still attended by many local children today from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
“Reuben Leuthold was one of the founding members and our pastor,” Willett said.
The church has only had a total of three pastors including the current pastor, Tim Compton, and retired pastor Kevin Rothaar.
According to Compton, there are approximately 170 people that attend church services at Wayside.
“People are getting older and many cannot do the steps anymore,” Compton said. “A lot of our rooms are located in the basement of the church so it came down to the fact that we needed to install an elevator or build an addition. We opted for the addition.”
Church member Kevin Wert said the new addition is 6,400 square feet and will house nine classrooms, offices, two restrooms, a toddler room and a nursery.
“A lot of the church members are helping with the labor,” Wert said.
Compton said the funding for the addition has been secured by church members and fundraisers. The addition is expected to be completed by August.
Wayside Chapel Church is located at 2341 Kerstetter Road, Bucyrus. For more information, visit the church’s website.