PC: Immanuel United Church of Christ,
NEENAH, WI (WTAQ) — A church in Neenah set to close finds another way to live on.
After 150 years of service, Immanuel United Church of Christ made the decision in April to close its doors on December 29. Pastor Tom Fritz said they were facing challenges with volunteer availability.
“We have 6-8, maybe 10 people, doing what in any other church would be done by 30 people, so we decided to close,” said Pastor Fritz. “But in the meantime, we began sowing the seeds of our legacy fund.”
The legacy fund will be comprised of the church’s current financial assets, money acquired from the future sale of the church, and donations. It will help support local charities on an annual basis.
Charities can apply for the legacy fund until November 25. The church will make their decisions for funding based on what the charity does, who they serve and how they serve them, and how they would use the funds.
Pastor Fritz says he expects between 6-10 charities to apply.
“We will probably start paying out in 2026,” said Pastor Fritz. “Our fund will provide a percentage each year to these charities, so eventually we will be giving back millions of dollars to this community.”
Pastor Fritz says he believes the fund could provide between $25-$40 thousand in the first year of distribution. As the legacy fund grows through the years, the charities will get more money each year based on that initial percentage point set.
A transformation service will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 22 to recognize the closing of the church and beginning of the legacy fund. Immanuel United Church of Christ will have it’s final Sunday service on Sunday, December 29 at 9:30 a.m.
To learn more about Immanuel United Church of Christ, and to fill out an application for your charity to receive funds, click here.
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