Much progress has been made in the past year as the historic former Christian Science building at 68 Mountain St. has passed into local ownership by the non-profit Heart of Many Ways. A home for all faiths and spiritual paths has been providing meeting space for many types of organizations including Sufis, Buddhists, the Arkansas Metaphysical Society, the I AM Fellowship, Circle of Nations and others.
It costs a lot of money to operate and maintain the 1915 building, so a fundraiser is planned Saturday, Nov. 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Live music, silent auction, drawings, refreshments, original art, gift items, and the opportunity to view and purchase mystery boxes found in Newton County are part of the welcome.
“This year’s fundraiser is close to Thanksgiving, and we have a lot to be thankful for,” Melissa Clare, Heart of Many Ways coordinator, said. “We have received the title to the building. We have been able to welcome several groups as affiliates, and have received donations that allowed us to put up a new sign, fix a downstairs window and fix a crack in the pavement that caused a leak into the women’s bathroom.”
But there is still a lot to do. Plans include repainting water stains, improvements to the men’s room, mending gutters and replacing the air conditioning, a big expense in a building this large.
“As the church is on the historic register, there will always be a lot to do for maintenance, and it is important to keep it up,” Clare said.
Many groups that meet at the facility ponder the mysteries of life. And this fall’s fundraiser also has a mystery theme. One display will be dozens of mystery boxes.
“There is a hermit who lives in the Ozark Mountains in Newton County,” Ayesha LeRoy, a supporter of Heart of Many Ways. “One day she came across a cache of dozens of mysterious boxes of different shapes and sizes. They were decorated with all sorts of things. One was made out of spools and another looks like a miniature suitcase. They are different shapes including cylindrical and heart shapes. All the boxes are tied up with string with a tag that says, TO: and contain cryptic messages. For example, one says, ‘To the ones who can’t contain themselves.’ Another says, ‘To the one who is on a spiritual journey.’ Another says, ‘To the nutty cook.’ The woman who found the boxes figures they were supposed to be meant for someone. She donated them to the Heart of Many Ways fall festival as a way for the boxes to find with whom they’ll live. People coming to the festival may be who they are for.”
Clare said the mystery boxes fit with some other mysteries around this historic building. One is the mystery of the disappearing turret tower that can be seen in old postcard pictures. No one seems to know when it was taken down or what happened to it. There is also the mystery of the disappearing doors.
“There used to be doors inside the church, separating the foyer from the pews,” Clare said. “We still have a few of them. What happened to the others?”
Live music planned during the day include Brenda Bowen Cox on harp, Marsha Havens on organ, and singer/songwriter Don Matt, as well as others.
“The acoustics in this space are great and we hope to bring many more musical events as time goes by,” Clare said.
To donate or for more information, Clare can be reached at (479) 253-8252 or the website is heartofmanyways.org.