STEPPING BACK IN TIME WITH HALLMARK CHRISTMAS SERVICES AT PRAIRIE GROVE CHAPEL
There are many reasons why a person should love and embrace the Christmas season here in Waynedale. One of them is Waynedale’s little white-framed chapel service along Old Trail Road, where a Hallmark Christmas will happen.
The chapel was built in the late 1850s. It is a pre-Civil War structure built after the Revolutionary War and is referred to as an antebellum. Two rows of 8 pews holding 5-6 parishioners line the inside of the Prairie Grove Chapel with a brightly lit Christmas tree in one corner and 2 chairs and a pulpit in the front of the church. Each of the 8 Gothic windows will be adorned with a candle. There is space for about 100 people.
The Prairie Grove Chapel has planned a Christmas service on Wednesday the 23rd and on Christmas Eve, Thursday the 24th, both services starting at 7PM. The doors will be open at 6:30. Admission is free and there will be no need to pick up tickets in advance.
The bell will ring and it will be a great time of worship! Cookies and hot cider will be provided following the service.
This peaceful, holy Chapel was nearly destroyed a few years ago from a fire that was set by vandals. “You could see right through the back wall to the outside. Some window sashes were completely burned. They had to be duplicated and replaced. One of the original pews was completely destroyed. Sixteen of the original pews remain,” reports Ellenberger.
A free will offering will be collected during the service. All funds collected will be put back into the chapel to complete restoration projects. In the past, new front doors were built and installed which resemble the original doors. They were purchased using donations from prior years.
Waynedale’s Prairie Grove Chapel is one of the oldest buildings in the City of Fort Wayne. It is now at a level of completion that the Board of Directors will allow the Chapel to be used by the public for various purposes. “We have opened the chapel for community use, for instance, weddings, funerals and holiday services,” said Glenn Ellenberger.
Glenn invites readers who want more information or a requested use of the chapel to contact him at 260-760-7194, or email him at Glenn@GlennEllenberger.com, putting “Prairie Grove” in the subject line. Donations can be sent to Prairie Grove Chapel, 6312 Old Trail Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46809. Be sure to note that the donation is for the chapel restoration.
There is so much about the Christmas season to savor and enjoy in Waynedale!
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