By Kerri Pepoy,Staff Writer

NORWAY – The First Church of Christ, Scientist has officially opened the doors of its new building following nearly a year of construction.

The new edifice is at Route 118 and Morrill Road in Norway. The first Sunday service was canceled last weekend due to bad weather. The first weekly testimony meeting was scheduled for Wednesday starting at 7:30 p.m.

Weekly testimony meetings will be held every Wednesday at that time, and regular Sunday services are scheduled to start Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. Sunday school will be held each week at the same time.

Julia Reuter, the church’s assistant president, said members had been gathering in a “little tiny house” in Norway for many years until deciding they wanted a larger facility.

“We had a less visible, smaller facility for several years,” Reuter, who lives in Bethel, said Tuesday. “As grateful as we were to have that facility, it was humble. We wanted a larger, better located, and more gracious church to welcome the community and praise God.”

The former building was sold, which helped fund the $276,000 construction project. The church also received donations from members and the Maine Christian Scientists, as well as grant money from the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, the church’s world headquarters.

Reuter’s husband, James, is an architect, and his firm assisted with the new design, she said.

Members initially looked for a location on Main Street in Norway so the new church would have high visibility. “Everything was either too expensive or crumbling,” Reuter said.

Members gathered at the Christian Science Reading Room and the Fare Share co-op, both on Main Street, while the facility was under construction.

She said members are excited about the new location. “It’s with great joy that we are entering our new church home.” An outdoor sign will be installed in the spring.

The Church of Christ, Scientist was founded in 1879 in Lynn, Mass., by Mary Baker Eddy. In 1908 she founded the Christian Science Monitor, an international newspaper.

Plagued with ill health, Eddy studied alternative methods of healing that strayed from traditional medical practices that had not helped her. Her Biblical interpretations and teachings formed the foundational belief of members that spiritual healing techniques are effective and were the same methods used by Jesus Christ during his lifetime.

There is no ordained clergy; members use two books, the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, as their “dual pastor,” Reuter said. Services are conducted by readers.

Reuter declined to comment on current membership, citing the church’s governing by-laws. “It is a small, faithful group,” she said, adding that all are welcome to attend Sunday and Wednesday gatherings.

“This is so exciting, our feet aren’t touching the ground,” she said.