He pointed to the Catholic church not far from the Episcopal memorial chapel in Bethlehem village, which he says will be an art gallery/restaurant at some point, he's been told.

The Ivie Memorial Church of the Messiah, built as a memorial to Florence Catherine Ivie and dedicated by her family in 1930, has never been a fully functioning church, said the retired Bishop Douglas Theuner of Concord, who has been assisting the diocese with closing the chapel and taking it apart.

"It has not yet been sold, but it is under consideration to be sold," he said Monday. He said it is owned by the trustees of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, which is waiting for a judgment from the court to be permitted to sell something that was donated to the church. "It hasn't been used on a regular basis for probably a half century."

Bishop Theuner said the chapel, made of stone with magnificent stained-glass windows - all but one featuring women from Biblical stories - has been used annually by the White Mountain School for its baccalaureate service and for an occasional wedding, but otherwise is in disuse, and is showing signs of disrepair.

Hudson said the heritage society was contacted recently by Len Reed, who is helping the diocese and Bishop Theuner with disposing of articles from the church that should remain in local hands, such as the plaques dedicating the chapel to Mrs. Ivie Abbott. She married Karl Abbott, whose family ran hotels in the North Country.

Reed said the Maplewood Country Club is purchasing part of the 14 acres the church sits upon, but the church itself and the land it sits on may end up in another entity's hands yet. He said he has been assisting the diocese to see if a nonprofit group might be interested in assuming the building and carrying it on for some public-minded use.

But so far, Bishop Theuner said, that hope hasn't been realized. He said while the church is sturdy and beautiful, it is in need of major work, including a heating system, and it has no running water.

For locals like Hudson, whose sister was married in the chapel, and who recalls in the '30s and '40s when cars lined Route 302 parked for regular Sunday services at the chapel, it's sad to think of the church not being used for service ever again. He fears it may be taken down.

"We're losing our history fast and furious," Hudson said.

The Heritage Society has an old scrapbook chronicling the Ivie family's history in Bethlehem, complete with letters from F.W. Woolworth, and everything from family photos in New Hampshire and on vacations in Florida to obituaries and the opening services at the chapel in the summer of 1930. Windows in the chapel were donated by various family members to Mrs. Ivie Abbott by her three sisters, her parents and her children, and to other family members and friends associated with the Ivie family.

In that scrapbook, a song written in 1931 reads:

"O Little Church in Bethlehem!

How near to God we seem to be

Among the grand old hills,

God's grace shines down the quiet street

and pours his love on all who worship here."

Bishop Theuner said the church is dispensing the chapel of its furnishings. He said the diocese sees no potential use for the chapel now, as there is a strong Episcopal church in Littleton, All Saints. The church had hoped a nonprofit organization such as the library or town itself would want the church, but sadly, he said, the building isn't really usable as anything but a church.

"It would cost millions of dollars to make it functional," he said.

Hudson hopes somehow the church will remain standing, but he's worried about its future, he said Monday. "We're losing a piece of history and architecture [if it isn't saved]." .

http://www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/top_news/story/ca2333cc9

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