In an effort to make the church more welcoming to more patrons, the United Methodist Church in Wells has made some serious upgrades to its facilities.

The Wells United Methodist Church, located at 595 1st Ave. SW, near the water tower, has been working hard at striving to be a place that is open, welcoming and inviting to people of all walks. The public is invited to come see the changes.

Several of the pews have been removed in the back area to make room for cushioned chairs with arms, for those who find pews increasingly difficult to sit in. Hearing assisting units are now available for those who might appreciate a little added boost to help them hear well. In another section pews were replaced by a couple round tables with chairs for young families with young children, or others who may find this style of worship more meaningful. On top of all this, two large screens have been mounted on the front walls for the congregation, along with a 60-inch flat screen on the back wall for worship leaders, as projection is now used as an integral part of every worship experience. Besides scripture and song text, this allows for movie clips and other great visuals to help bring the message of the day to life in current, relevant ways. All of these changes create a festive worship environment.

But the updates don’t stop there. The room behind the sanctuary, originally designed as an overflow space, has been converted to a coffee bar-type environment with bistro tables and several small tables to mingle and visit around before and after worship.

The nursery has been totally revamped and was moved into a larger room, with much more play space. It will also be professionally staffed for all worship experiences or special events.

Sunday School, which began today at 10:15 a.m. for all ages, also has many new happenings. The children will be using a format that is much on the order of a vacation Bible school approach, with larger group, then smaller group learning experiences. Adult classes and discussion groups are available as well.

Beginning at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, there will be a weekly mid-week worship experience called Journey. It will be a weekly faith journey with God where the search and the journey are more important than specific conclusions, as everyone all journey with and to God at their own pace. This worship experience intends to be sort of a blend of contemporary and alternative worship styles, and will be quite different from a Sunday morning worship experience.

Wells UMC is a place of new beginnings for everybody. Check them out at www.wellsumc.net and stop by on Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. for worship, 10:15 a.m. for Sunday School or coffee time, and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. to be part of the journey.