DeKALB | The Wesley Foundation and United Campus Ministries used to be housed near the parking garage until some significant water damage forced them to move.

Both organizations provide campus activities, worship services and one-on-one student counseling, but because of the damage they are now housed in two separate buildings.

The building is currently for sale with a number of prospective buyers, including NIU, interested in purchasing it, said Patricia Beal, a member of the executive committee of the Northern Illinois Board of Trustees. Beal said she would prefer details not be printed at this time.

Needing to relocate

Last December, the Wesley Foundation and UCM building suffered significant water damage and did not have available funds to make repairs, said Efrain Avila, campus pastor and director of the Wesley Foundation since July.

Jay Mayer, a student-at-large and peer minister for UCM, said the building officially closed as of June 30. The Wesley Foundation, a student-led United Methodist campus ministry, and the previous owners of the building relocated to the First United Methodist Church as of July 1. UCM, a worldwide ministry containing the Episcopal and United Church of Christ, have been located at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church since August, Mayer said. UCM and the Wesley Foundation are both receiving funding through each of their churches.

Mayer said he could not disclose too much information as to why the building was not closed sooner when the pipe burst, which caused damage to the sanctuary in December.

“There really was no need to relocate [since] the water damage was localized,” Mayer said. “[UCM] was not given permission to make the necessary repairs.”

Though Mayer said the Wesley Foundation and UCM parted on the best terms possible, he said they were not given official notification of the closing until April.

“I did try to save all the furniture and sanitize it, but sanctuary repairs would have cost too much,” he said.

Student services

The now-vacant Wesley Foundation building was built in the 1950s and funded by the First United Methodist Church in DeKalb, Avila said. United Campus Ministries and the Wesley Foundation joined together in the mid-1980s since both organizations had the same interests in terms of helping students, he said.

The main purpose of the Wesley Foundation is to make a difference in people’s lives and to share God’s love through Jesus, Avila said. UCM will continue to be an important part of many individuals’ spiritual growth, though they are having trouble trying to reconnect with students, Mayer said.

“Our biggest problem right now is that students may not know about the location change,” he said.

Maribeth Oglesbee, a sophomore political science major, said she used to go to the Wesley Foundation and UCM twice week to work on homework and for one-on-one counseling.

“Really, I think the core of their purpose [is] to provide love and support to students and to help them in any way they can,” Oglesbee said.

For more information on the Wesley Foundation, call Pastor Efrain Avila at 815-756-6301. For more information on United Campus Ministries, call 815-758-8176.

Michelle Gibbons is a Campus Reporter for the

Northern Star.