Boost Leads to Big Leap News April 25, 2025 Fred Koenig Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Sometimes, a little boost can become a big deal. When North Street UMC in Marshall received a $25,000 boost grant from the Missouri Conference as a historically Black church, they thought it would be a good opportunity to take down the drop ceiling. When that was done, it was revealed that the ceiling above it was falling, and some of the beams above that ceiling were broken. Further inspection found some bad studs in the walls and loose windows. Suffice it to say that $25,000 wasn’t going to cover it. “It was $40,000 just to get everything torn out,” said treasurer Sam Moten. But they were motivated to move forward in faith, so tear out they did. The church was rewired while the walls were open, and it was easy to run wire. New lighting was installed. All the spindles were replaced in the banister that wraps around the balcony to raise the railing to a safer height. Worship was relocated to the church basement during the demolition and rebuilding phase. It took about a year and a half from demolition to completion. “We kind of got used to being in the basement,” said Ralph Varner who has served as their supply pastor since 2016. Everyone kept their faith through that time, and the church attendance didn’t drop. “We even gained a few,” Varner said. When the church started the renovation, it had about $40,000 in the bank. It raised money as it went and appreciated the contractor’s patience. The church held a revival Nov. 3-5, 2023. In Oct. 2024, a fried-chicken dinner raised $2,305, which was used for new carpeting. “I fried 500 pieces of chicken,” said Katherine “Kat” Van Buren, assistant treasurer. The day after the chicken dinner, they had a drawing for two quilts. Several people from the community donated to the project, as did Corder UMC, the other church that Varner serves. By the time the project was finished, they had invested about $180,000 in the repairs and remodeling. “We have very generous people here,” Varner said. Many of them have been around for a while. Moten, has the most years in, having been there for all of his 80 years. Van Buren nearly matches him in age, but she was a teenager when she started attending the church. They both have a few years on Geraldine Williams, who serves as church secretary. The next goal for the church is to add a ramp to make the building handicap accessible.