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Methodist Church Plans Grand Opening

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By ANGELA DELGADO, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 13, 2007

Updated: 10/11/2007 07:11 pm

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - The Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church is celebrating a grand opening and everyone is invited.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 20, the church is having a Family Fun Fest for the opening of its Family Life Center, located on church premises, 6100 Memorial Highway. Although the center opened in August 2006, the church staff wants the community to know it is ready and waiting for all to use.

The festival will feature ponies, inflatable attractions, face painting, a pumpkin patch, music and free food. The entire event is free.

'We wanted to provide good family fun for people in the area,' said Cherylann Bellavia, director of communications and administration at Wesley. 'We want them to know we're not just a place that's open on Sundays; this church is very community oriented and very outreach oriented.'

'It's going to be a hoppin' day for sure,' she said.

The YMCA also will have a basketball game at the festival, and there will be cheerleading and karate demonstrations.

The center 'started out as an ideal,' said Vickey Paggio, administrative assistant at Wesley. 'We were growing and running out of space in the church.'

The church staff began a building campaign about five years ago, and its church members have raised about $3 million for the center, which still isn't paid off.

The 24,000-square-foot center includes a full-size gymnasium with a concession stand. It has a music room, a banquet/fellowship hall with a capacity of 350 to 400 people, and a commercial kitchen. The second floor consists of six meeting/class rooms and a youth room dubbed The Attic that has video games, a billiard table, air hockey table, an area for bands to perform and seating for people to sit and chat.

The meeting/class rooms, as well as the banquet hall, are available to rent. H. Clark Edwards, who has been the church's pastor since June, initiated a deal with the YMCA to allow them to use the gymnasium two nights a week for basketball. Bellavia said the church wants to bring in families who do home schooling so they can use the classrooms.

Wesley opened in 1964, holding services in a small room that fit 125 people. Today, the diverse church has 500 members and has moved to a 28,000-square-foot building. People of all nationalities attend worship service, and the church staff just began a Spanish fellowship from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

'It's a very multicultural group, which is great,' Bellavia said. 'It makes for a nice mix, a nice flavor.'

Asked to describe Wesley, Bellavia, who recently joined the staff, said, 'It's a place where you're not going to be intimidated, not going to be forced to become a Methodist. It's very welcoming. You come listen to the word of God and make your own decision from there.'
WESLEY MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
HOURS: Wednesday Night Dinners at 5:30 p.m. for busy families. Cost is $5.50 for adults, $2.50 for children; Wednesday Night Live begins at 6:30 p.m. with different classes for adults and children; Sunday traditional worship service is at 8:30 a.m., and the contemporary service is at 11 a.m. Spanish fellowship is also on Sunday at 5 p.m.

NUMBER OF MEMBERS: 500

LOCATION: 6100 Memorial Highway

INFORMATION: (813) 886-2536

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado@tampatrib.com.

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