The Sidney Center United Methodist Church will celebrate its past and its future at 11 a.m. Sunday during a special service at its temporary home at the Fireman's Hall on Main Street.
Trustee Carol Bennett said the church is moving forward and rising from the ashes of the fire that destroyed the 1896 church Oct. 1.
"The structure is gone, but our congregation is working toward becoming a church again," Bennett said Thursday.
Former Pastor Bill Orr will offer a special service titled "Looking Back _ Looking Ahead," which will be followed by a covered-dish luncheon.
Bennett said Orr is filling in while Pastor Barbara Pease attends her granddaughter's baptism in Pennsylvania.
The congregation is invited to share memories of the past and create possibilities for the future, Bennett said.
The Sidney Center church leaders are in the process of working with United Methodist Church district leaders to decide whether to build a new building or have the congregation join another congregation.
Bennett said the talks are focusing on building a green, energy-efficient church on the same site.
"It is kind of up in the air whether or not we can rebuild," Bennett said.
Orr was the pastor for about three years in the mid-1970s, Bennett said. She said the Sidney Center Church was Orr's first church.
"He called me with tears in his voice when he heard about the fire," Bennett said. "I hadn't talked to him in more than 30 years, but he was so enthusiastic about us restarting that he wanted to come and preach."
Bennett said Orr hopes to reconnect with people who were active when he was pastor.
"If you were married by Pastor Bill Orr, baptized by him or just remember some special times spent with him, he'd enjoy reliving the memories with you," Bennett said.
Bennett said she has been a member of the Sidney Center United Methodist Church for 43 years. All four of her children were baptized there, and she was the youth group leader for 25 years.
"We'd love to see any of our former pastors and hear special memories of their time with us, too," Bennett said.
Carrie Lally, 86, of Sidney, has been a member of the church since she was 8 years old. She was married in the church, and her three children were baptized there.
One of Lally's church-related memories dates back to 1954 when she took part in one of the Christian Friendship Caravans organized by Lyon. She said she was recruited to drive during a summerlong trip to Europe.
"We went to England, Scotland, Wales, Holland, Italy and Germany," Lally said. "It was the year before I got married."
Bennett said 30 to 40 people have been attending services since the arson fire destroyed the church.
Donald J. Aitken, 21, and Cody D. Fancher, 17, both of East Meredith, were arrested Oct. 8 on third-degree arson charges in the church fire.
