Wichita’s Grace United Methodist Church plans celebration as it prepares to close

After 129 years of service, Grace United Methodist Church at 944 S. Topeka is closing because of declining attendance.

The last day of service will be Easter on April 5.

The congregation plans a daylong church celebration on March 22, starting with a worship service at 10 a.m. It will be followed by a catered lunch at noon and an organ concert at 2 p.m.

Reservations for the meal need to be made by Thursday by calling the church office at 316-262-6195.

The current church building was constructed in 1910 as Grace Methodist Episcopal Church and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

The two-story brick building at the northeast corner of Topeka and Gilbert was constructed in the neoclassical revival style, according to the church building’s nomination for the national register. It is the second-oldest Methodist church building in Wichita – the first being St. Paul United Methodist Church at 13th and Broadway.

Grace was also the first Wichita church to have air conditioning, which was installed in 1954, according to the nomination form.

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Wichita’s Grace United Methodist Church plans celebration as it prepares to close."