Agape Community Church is fundraising for steeple restoration at the former St. Mary's in Pewaukee

Drew Dawson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
The steeple at the former St. Mary's Church needs repair before certain services and church functions can be held in the property.
The steeple at the former St. Mary's Church needs repair before certain services and church functions can be held in the property.

The former St. Mary's church steeple is in disrepair, and its new owners, Agape Community Church, are fundraising to restore it.

The church was originally planned to be sold to a developer for an elderly care facility in July 2020. After public outcry, the village of Pewaukee ended up purchasing the 14 acres for $1.5 million. The property was sold to Agape Community Church in April 2021.

After years of neglect of the church building, restorations by its new congregation have been ongoing since June 15, 2021. Agape initially thought it could take years before the facility was safe for in-person services, but the church held its first wedding May 1 and its first church service there a week later.

The work isn't done, however. The steeple and the basement are the next projects on the list. Agape Pastor Florin Docea estimated the cost to repair just the steeple at about $30,000. The basement, which needs extensive HVAC and plumbing work, is estimated to cost about $60,000.

"We are in danger of having the steeple either collapsing or getting to a state of disrepair that it'll be too costly to handle or repair it," Docea said. "There is currently a 2-foot hole that has developed in it."

Restorations have taken place via work from church and community members as well as donations from local businesses. The church is again asking community members to come forward to donate and help fundraise.

"People might say, 'Pastor, this is a big mountain ahead of us,'" Docea said. "We had a bigger mountain a year ago, and look where we are now. We need a bit more help right now, especially from those who can help, whether that's an individual or a business."

The church has set up an online fundraising link for the next phase of renovations, which can be found at www.bit.ly/NewHopeFund. All donations are tax deductible, Docea said.

Drew Dawson can be reached at ddawson@jrn.com or 262-289-1324.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Agape Community Church fundraising to repair former St. Mary's steeple