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Photos/Graphics: · Remodeling
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Church finds A church is not a building. "In the new testament we are taught that a church is not a building but is a group of people who meet together," said the Rev. Shawn Thornton, senior pastor of Bible Center Church off Corrdor G. So, losing the use of the facility for next three weeks won't stop the more than 1,000-member congregation from worshipping together. While the usual meeting spot is under construction, the congregation will worship at the Charleston House Holiday Inn. "We never considered not meeting for next three Sundays," Thornton said. "We made a strong effort to go somewhere." A $1.85 million expansion and renovation project is in the works at Bible Center, 1111 Oakhurst Drive. The project includes adding 10,000-square-feet of space to create 11 new rooms as well as remodel the auditorium, nurseries and bathrooms. Video and audio equipment is also being updated in the sanctuary. The work began May 21, and is scheduled for completion in February 2002. Architect is Bastian & Harris. General contractor is Plott & Holbrook Inc. Work is now under way in the sanctuary with removal of old carpeting and ceiling tiles. This part of the project left the congregation in need of a gathering place for Sunday worship. For the next three Sundays, beginning tomorrow, the congregation will worship at Charleston House Holiday Inn, 600 Kanawha Blvd. Worship will be held in the ballroom while meeting rooms will be used for nurseries and children's church. Three KRT trolleys will provide a shuttle service from Bible Center to Charleston House. Trolleys will run every 20 minutes from 8:15 a.m. to noon. Sunday services at the Charleston House are set for 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on July 1, 8 and 15. An "Embracing the Future Banquet" will be held 12:30 p.m. July 15 with guest speaker Paul Dixon, president of Cedarville University in Ohio. "He has been a long-time friend of the church," Thornton said. "He has done a lot to grow the ministry of Cedarville University." At the banquet, people will be invited to make anonymous commitments to pay off the building project, he said. "The congregation plans to pay off the building within three years of completion," he said. "We voted on that to be free to do what we need to do in the future." A group of people who began meeting in the 1930s formed Bible Center Church in 1942 when the Rev. A. Reid Jepson became the first pastor. The church had a few different homes before the building on Oakhurst was dedicated in 1976. The congregation has grown from a few to more than 1,000. "The congregation runs on the average 1,050," Thornton said. "On Easter it spikes up to about 1,400. It fluctuates." He said the reason for growth is focusing on basic Bible teachings. There are classes and activities geared to virtually all age levels. "We don't focus on social or political issues," said Thornton, who came to the church as senior pastor in 1997. "We focus on what God is saying to us in his word for today. People are looking for peace and joy in life through him. The church is Bible centered." The church also has a Christian school serving 195 children in grades kindergarten to five. A preschool serves another 115 children. While the current expansion project will give folks more breathing space, Thornton figures one day the congregation will need even more room. "These have been very exciting days for us," he said. "If we keep preaching about Jesus Christ and stay centered on the Bible, I think we will continue to grow. God will continue to grow us as we try to remain faithful to him." For more information check out the church's Web site at http://www.biblecenterchurch.com/. Writer Charlotte Ferrell Smith can be reached at 348-1246.
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