First United Methodist Pastor Nick Scutari confirmed the church would be relocating by the end of January. The church is currently working on a transition plan for New Ulm Ministerial Association (NUMAS) Haus to purchase the building at Center and Broadway.

NUMAS Haus is an emergency shelter and support service for homeless women and children primarily in the Brown County area. It is located next door to First United Methodist. Only a parking lot separates the two buildings. First United Methodist was one of the first supporters of NUMAS Haus. The nonprofit already keeps office space inside the church.

Scutari said the church has been in conversation with NUMAS about selling the building for almost a year. It was decided to move forward with the sale in November. Special approval was required from the church’s district board. There is still some additional paperwork needed before the sale is final.

Scutari said part of the reason for the sale is related to congregation size and building maintenance.

First United Methodist's was decorated the holidays one last time. The con

“We have been on a journey since COVID,” Scutari said. “What does it look like to be a church?”

With the congregation shrinking, even before the pandemic, it seemed unnecessary to continue maintaining a larger church building.

“It is 100 years old,” Scutari said. “There are costly maintenance needs for the building and we wanted something reflective of our size.”

Though the First United Methodist congregation is leaving its home of nearly a century, the church is happy with what it is leaving behind.

“We are leaving this building, but we are also leaving a legacy,” Scutari said. No official decision has been made for how the building will be used by NUMAS Haus, but it will likely continue the nonprofit’s goals of providing shelter for those in need. By selling to NUMAS the church will be furthering important mission work.

NUMAS Haus executive director Nicole Schmiesing said no official plan for the building will be released until the official closing day, but NUMAS is grateful for their ongoing partnership with First United Methodist.

“They are a super important component of NUMAS Haus,” Schmiesing said. “The congregation has embraced us and opened the church to us.”

It is a partnership that will continue even after the sale is finalized.

Schmiesing said the church had an awesome legacy and NUMAS was happy to continue that partnership in the future.

Worship services will continue at Center and Broadway up through the sale of the building, which will likely happen in January. Scutari said the current plan is to relocate by the end of January. No final decision has been made on where First United Methodist will relocate but Scutari said the church has an idea where to go.

Before the move, a special online auction will be held to sell some items inside the church. Scutari said the items for auction will be tagged in January. Items up for auction will likely include tables, chairs and some pews. Money earned from the auction will help cover the cost of the move. Many of the items significant to the church will move to the new location.

Scutari confirmed the church’s exterior Christmas decorations would be relocated with the new building. The three wise men on camels is one of the best-known Christmas decorations in New Ulm. For many the camels near the Center Street intersection are a holiday staple.

“More than one person has told me that it is not Christmas until camels go up on Center and Broadway,” Scutari said.

Sunday will be the last Christmas service at the Broadway and Center location. Scutari said his sermon for the service would focus on the Christmas holiday itself rather than the change happening to the church.

“I want it to be about the ‘why’ of the holiday,” he said. “That is the reason we are here in the first place.”