Squarely in the middle of the Carthage Historic District on McReynolds Street stands one of the most beautiful buildings in the District — the Carthage United Methodist Church.

Established in 1837, the church completed construction of its current building in 1901. Now, after 98 years of service, the building is getting a much-needed face lift.

Some time ago, members of the church discovered cracked and flaking plaster. The Board of Trustees voted to have it repaired. However, what they later found went far beyond plaster and paint. Rotted sills and some deteriorated foundational supports were causing the building to shift, thus causing the cracking in the plaster.

"Obviously, we needed more than plaster work," Pastor Terry Huffines said. "And luckily, we have a group of trustees who take a great interest in bringing our church building up to grade."

Huffines explained that the damage was caused by years of poor drainage, allowing standing water along the entire front of the building to settle in and be absorbed by the nearly 100-year-old wooden frame.

"Not only have the sills been replaced, but in some cases we needed to go 12 to 15 feet up the side of the building before finding sturdy supports," he said.

Of special concern to the congregation was protection of the irreplaceable stained-glass windows for which the church is renowned.

"What our architect found was worrisome," Huffines said. "Many of the windows had loose or bowed frames, and some of the zinc that holds the stained glass together was weak.

"A company out of Statesville was called in to do the repairs — and so far, so good."

Huffines said that after the window repairs have been completed, protective non-yellowing plexiglass storm windows will be installed, both for protection and energy efficiency.

Tommy Prickett, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said the cost of the restoration will be nearly $180,000.

"Fortunately we have been able to qualify for a grant from the Duke Endowment Fund that will pay 25 percent of the investment over a three-year period," Prickett said.

"So far we have had a very successful first effort on our Stewardship Campaign. In addition, our Methodist Men’s and Methodist Women’s organizations will be holding a combination barbecue, bake sale and white elephant sale on Nov. 5, and many of our Sunday school classes are doing projects such as T-shirt sales to help raise the money."

Both Pricket and Huffines said the membership is eager to repay the debt as soon as possible, in order to qualify for addition grant money available through the Duke Endowment Fund.

"The rules are, you can’t qualify for new grant money when a grant on a previous loan is still unpaid," Prickett said.

Huffines said the church has long-range plans for new construction in the form of a fellowship/multipurpose hall and upgraded parking facilities.

"Our membership now stands at 420, and we are committed to growth in the new century," Huffines said.

"We plan to be ready for that growth with a beautifully restored and historic house of worship, as well as new space to expand."