The First Christian Church hasn’t moved far from where its original members used to congregate, but it has come a long way.

With the addition of a new Family Life Center and renovations to the more than 130 year-old church, Pastor Danny Wolford and the congregation are welcoming all the members back to Greensburg for the Homecoming celebration this weekend. The three-day event, beginning this evening, marks the 176th anniversary of the church, which began with a few members who met on what was to become the courthouse lawn.

Since those days, the church has not moved far. The Friendly Church on the Hill as it is also known was established a few blocks away on Broadway and Hendricks streets. While Wolford said there was recent talk of building a new facility on the outskirts of town, the members decided the location was too important.

“We’ve been a big part of the community as a whole, and hopefully, we’re making it a better community,” Wolford said. “We don’t want to separate the church from the community, or the community from the church.”

One of the main reasons they decided to stay was the the location, which he said is so intregral to the historic downtown and the church’s own history.

Instead, the church spent eight years developing ideas for renovations and meeting current needs. Implementing those ideas took 17 months.

Wolford said one of the main things missing was a place for socializing; a communal area were members could celebrate outside of church. The new Family Life Center, which has been open for about eight months and served as the sanctuary while the main church was renovated, will fulfill those needs. There is a state-of-art kitchen and ample space for the whole church to enjoy Christmas dinner together as well as a variety of functions. The ever-growing youth program now has more room to grow also.

Inside the church, the wall has been moved and the stage widened, allowing more space for extra seating for the growing congregation. There is a new communal room for fellowship before and after services, and a new back entry way with an open design Wolford feels offers a more inviting atmosphere. There is also a new prayer room for members to find peace and quiet reflection outside of church.

Despite the renovations, however, Wolford said the members were careful not to discard the past.

“We’ve blended the old with the new. You don’t just shove one out because you like the other,” Wolford said. “We wanted to preserve that history and charm but make it new.”

All over the church and the Life Center are examples of this practice. Old pipes from the organ adorn the prayer room, a cross embedded into the wall of the Life Center was fashioned out of the slate from the steeple, and the original bell waits by the new entry way to silently ring the congregation into Sunday service.

While the changes to the building and the new additions are at the center of the events surrounding Homecoming, Wolford stressed it was really about the members, no matter how far they may have spread.

“We want the members to feel like this is important to them. We want them to come home and have it feel like home. This is home,” Wolford said.

While Wolford is proud of the work that has been done and admits the brick and mortar has a sacred place with the congregation, the church is something far greater.

“A building is just a building. A church shouldn’t be recognized by an address,” Wolford said. “A church is where ever the people are.”