The congregation of Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, rural Goessel, recently completed a four-month construction project that included adding air conditioning to the church sanctuary, a 1,250-square-foot activities room, a storage vault for historical documents, vestibules for the westernmost entrances, and updated offices.

“We were scrambling for space for our midweek activities,” Pastor Steve Schmidt said. “We were having to rush eating and fellowship time at our Wednesday night meal in order to make room for children’s activities. People were starting to not feel welcome.”

A “Welcoming God’s People” campaign provided the funding for the capital improvement project.

“We are very grateful for the support for this project,” Trustee Chairman Steve Unruh said. “The church has been talking about how to be more welcoming over the last two years. This project was our trustees’ response to the call for each committee and board of the church to see how they could help the church accomplish this goal.”

Temporary offices were moved to the Ratzlaff Building in Goessel and the Youth House during construction. The church and contractors were careful to ensure the new construction matched the historical architecture of the church, built 125 years ago.

Dedication of the new improvements will be Nov. 13. Worship will begin at 10:30 a.m. An ethnic German food potluck will follow the service. An open house with informal tours and refreshments will be from 1 to 3 p.m. The church invites the public to attend.