On Sunday, our church took a leap of faith and voted to tear down our existing building and construct a new one on the same spot. This decision is actually in line with our congregation’s historical tradition of not letting a building stand in the way of our God-given mission. In the first 64 years of our 197 year history, the church built and demolished 8 different buildings according to the needs of the congregation and community. We have been in the same building now for 133 years, which is of course the only building anyone in the congregation or town remembers. As painful as it is for everyone to think about the loss of the old building, it has structural issues and remodeling is cost prohibitive. As pretty as it is on the outside, it lacks functionality on the inside. In the past, we’ve crammed 90 Vacation Bible School kids into the pew-jammed sanctuary for games. People in wheelchairs have no access to restrooms without going outside and to the opposite corner of the building to find a ramp to the basement. With two “one-holer” restrooms, there’s a regular traffic jam at the “most coveted seats in the house” on Sunday morning. ;-) I could go on about the church’s needs, but the needs of the community are most important. As great a town as Fredericksburg is, there are not many places for the community to hold functions or events. It’s my fervent hope and prayer that our new facility will be a “community-center” of sorts which enhances the quality of life for all. The church owns the Fredericksburg Community Park and has freely offered it to the village for public use for 60 years. I would like to see the new building fall in line with that tradition. The new fellowship hall will reach almost to the park. How great it would be for people who use the park for graduation parties and family reunions to also have access to a kitchen, restrooms and indoor facilities in the event of rain. Perhaps it could even serve as a “cooling station” for people to enjoy some A/C during the annual 4th of July Parade or be used as overflow seating for folks eating at the Homecoming which the town holds every Labor Day weekend. The new building won’t be as tall as the old, but we’re going to transfer the steeple from the old building to the new and use the same stained glass windows. So, it will still be beautiful and it will still “look like a church” as so many have requested. The project is not yet a “done deal.” We still have to raise the funds, but the Lord has already provided miraculously to that end. It’s a $2,000,000 project and we’ve had $900,000 of unsolicited funds pledged or given in the form of a matching grant and donated property, services and cash! I can’t wait to see how God continues to bless our church and community through this project. He has done some amazing things and I’m confident He’s about to do some more! Note- The three computer-rendered pictures of the new building show the view from the following locations: 1.) Weaver’s Hardware looking at the building with Jackson Street to the right side of it and Mill Street running in front of it. 2.) The parking lot looking in. And, 3.) An aerial view.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 01:16:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015