Faith, Friendship and the Future for New Disseler Hall

On Sunday, February 11, 2024, the United Church of Marco Island (UCMI) celebrated the grand opening of the newly renovated Disseler Hall, including its kitchen, education wing, Memorial Garden, and the campus courtyard. A Steering Committee chartered by the Board of Trustees implemented the renovations with the professional assistance of Victor Latavish, Architect and Surety Construction of Naples. Disseler Hall was built in the early 70s as the original sanctuary for the church, which included the Sunday School classrooms and a kitchen for congregational social events.

In keeping with the “island-style” theme for the grand opening, the Sunday worship service had a celebratory feel with special Caribbean Island music with percussionist Jim Saint-Amour playing the steel drum pans. Members also wore tropical inspired casual resort attire. 

Don’t Worry Be Happy, a Jamaican inspired song by Bobby McFerrin, helped the congregation focus upon what Jesus said about worry and anxiety in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” 

The Grand Opening was celebrated with a worship service featuring the history and significance of Disseler Hall and recognition of the donors and the team of people who worked together to deliver the splendid enhancements to the UCMI campus and church life. 

According to Tim Smith, Disseler Steering Committee Chair, “The Disseler project has been a fine example of teamwork. The Steering Committee members, architect and construction company have been completely engaged in the process while communicating at a high level, minimizing surprises, and keeping the project on time and budget.”

Samantha Arago, Director of Operations also added, “It’s been exciting to watch this project evolve. The anticipation has been building since we started fundraising for it. Although we’ve kept everyone well-informed, very few have gotten to witness the day-to-day changes, so it will be a wonderful surprise. It’s a joy to get to celebrate this day with all who made it possible including the donors, the Disseler committees, the architect, the general contractor, and subcontractors, and especially the Disseler family. I’m thankful for each and every one of them and I cannot wait to start making use of the space in faith and friendship throughout the future.”

Amy Disseler with her older brother Tom and younger sister Ellen attended the grand re-opening of Disseler Hall and she shared her early memories. Her parents, Dick and Eloise Disseler served UCMI from 1975 to 1996 until he retired. Rev. Dr. Richard Disseler was the second pastor of UCMI. 

 “Disseler Hall was more than a sanctuary and a kitchen and a classroom,” Amy Disseler shared. “It was a community of faith; it was a place for friends to gather and to praise God for all his blessings. And now, it has a future thanks to you and your generous contributions to renovate it. The walls and windows of Disseler Hall echo sweet memories for so many others. God bless you for wanting to keep that faith, continue the friendship and give Disseler Hall a future to serve Marco Islanders for decades to come.”

The historical elements of Disseler Hall, such as the rock facades, steeple and the stained glass windows were kept. New windows brightly illuminate the cross. The stage at the front of the hall was redesigned for easier and safer access. New ceiling, lighting, flooring and paint and a new entrance/egress from Disseler to the Memorial Garden was added. 

David and Joanie Fuller conceived of the Mayflower Room in Disseler Hall to commemorate the arrival of the pilgrims and the founding of our denomination. David created and contributed two paintings of the Mayflower to add significance to the room. 

As the closing chorus sang “This Little Light of Mine,” the visiting Disseler Family, members of the Steering Committee, Eric Bjelland of Surety Construction and Architect Victor Latavish led a procession down the aisle to start the “big reveal” of Disseler Hall.