EAST PALESTINE — First United Presbyterian Church of East Palestine will dedicate its new worship space Sunday during a 3 p.m. service at 109 West Rebecca Street.

The service will also celebrate the sale of the First United Presbyterian Church building to The Way Station. The service will be led by the Rev. Annie Parker, Moderator of Eastminster Presbytery. Speakers will include Chaney Nezbeth, CEO of The Way Station and the Rev. Fritz Nelson, pastor of First United Presbyterian Church. George and Ginny Fawcett will provide special music.

In 2021 the congregation invited The Way Station into East Palestine to take over management of its Kingdom Closet clothing outreach, providing residents with easier access to The Way Station’s employment training and poverty alleviation programs. In the wake of the 2023 derailment, The Way Station became a primary conduit for relief funding and supplies, with First United Presbyterian Church becoming a hub for aid distribution as well as a site for public meetings and a base camp for scientific research.

“The close cooperation between First United Presbyterian Church and The Way Station in the wake of the derailment lead to a vision of how the church and The Way Station could combine to have a sustained impact for the good of East Palestine,” says Rev. Fritz Nelson, pastor of First United Presbyterian and a Way Station board member. “The sale of the First United Presbyterian building is a continuation of the deep partnership built during those hectic days and a sign of the congregation’s commitment to living out the gospel of Jesus Christ by prioritizing the needs of the poor, hurting, lost, lonely and struggling.”

“The congregation is not closing,” the Rev. Nelson emphasizes, noting services will continue to be held weekly on Sundays at 11 a.m. in the congregation’s new worship space. The former sanctuary will house an expanded Way Station thrift store while the rest of the building will serve as space for employment classes, poverty prevention programs and possible future youth programming. Twelve-step meetings currently in the building will continue and space will still be available for birthday parties, showers, reunions and other gatherings. The Way Station also expects to provide facilities support for the upcoming round of scientific research on the long-term health effects of the derailment.

The Way Station’s East Palestine Thrift Store will be closing on Nov. 7 to reset and reconfigure with the goal of reopening the first week of December. To prepare for the reset, the Way Station is no longer accepting donations at its East Palestine site and all items in the East Palestine store are on sale. Anybody wishing to volunteer to help with the reset should contact The Way Station at (330) 888-0584.