Diocese sells Marshfield Property

​The property of the former St. Alban Episcopal Church located on Felker Avenue in Marshfield has been sold by the Trustees of the Diocese of Fond du Lac to the Marshfield Church of Christ. Organized as a mission in 1900, St. Alban became a parish in 1944 and moved and built the Felker building in 1962. After experiencing membership decline, the congregation moved from parish to mission status and then closed in 2014. Bishop Matt Gunter deconsecrated the building November 27, 2017 with several former members in attendance.
 
“There were initiatives to strengthen the congregation, but membership decline and lack of resources resulted in the decision to close the congregation” Bishop Gunter explained. “The attempt of the diocese to maintain the facility by renting it had reached the point where mounting losses made it unworkable to keep the facility for possible future use.”
 
Liturgical accoutrements were removed and are being stored for distribution to diocesan congregations next Spring. The distribution of proceeds approved by the Executive Council are: to reimburse the diocese for out-of-pocket expenses from managing the property for the past three years; to establish a Companion Diocese Fund to provide support for the companion diocesan relationship, to add to the Mission Permanent Endowment Fund held in the Diocesan Common Trust, whose income supports mission work of the diocese; to add to the Roddis Loan Fund Endowment held in the Diocesan Common Trust whose assets are available to congregations of the diocese as a revolving loan for building and repairs; to create a Congregational Vitality Fund to provide support for the work of the Commission on Congregational Vitality, and; to create a Diocesan Initiatives Fund to subsidize non-budgeted opportunities for mission and ministry that arise from time to time.
 
“I am sad that we had to sell a place where ministry might have been resurrected, but am pleased that the assets will be used to support broader ministry for years to come” Bishop Matt shared with the Executive Council.