From Vison to Victory

What began as a dream in the minds of some forward thinking church leadership became a vision for an entire church. The vision became a plan, the plan became an opportunity for sacrifice and giving, and it all culminated with a packed house worshiping Jesus Christ in our new building. Praise God for his goodness! (Click on photos to enlarge.)

A full house for the first worship service

Eight baptisms!

Parking was like Wal-Mart two days before Christmas.

This will be the last post for Woodland Builds. Now that the building is complete, you're invited to come out to 545 Crabtree Road and see the real thing for yourself. How does next Sunday at 10:30 a.m. sound?

End Of An Era

A full house for the final worship service on Old Clyde Road

Sunday, July 27, 2008 marked the final worship service at our building on Old Clyde Road. It was a time for reminiscing, and for thanking God for all his blessing on this local body since its formation in 1938. Keeping with the significance of the occasion, Pastor Alan preached a sermon titled "Looking Back" from Deuteronomy 8. It was a day that brought out a range of emotions among the congregation as we considered our church's past, and looked forward with excitement towards its future. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Pastor Timmy and Banjo give the children's sermon

Pastor Alan preaches with a 55 gallon drum for a pulpit, which is what Woodland's first pastor had to use back in 1938.

Amber Rhinehart sings "Praise the King"

Worshipers exit for the final time

Two Weeks To Go

The new date for the building dedication has been set for August 3rd, and it looks like this is a deadline the contractor can keep. I think everybody at Woodland is starting to get excited as we see the completion date drawing near.

New glass doors at the main entrance

Don't park in those handicap spaces if you don't belong there. Check out those fines! And no, you can't deduct the fine from your tithe.

Fenced-in playground area for the younger grades

Going Into Overtime

"Will we have Woodland's building finished by July 20 like we promised Pastor Alan?"

"I don't think so, Tim."

________________________________________________________

Just a wee bit behind schedule.

I think the Empire State Building was the last building in the history of construction to be completed on time (actually, it was completed ahead of schedule), and that was way back in 1931. So it's to be expected that our new church building is running "just a little bit behind schedule". The July 20 kickoff date has gone up in a cloud of construction dust, and now we're looking at sometime in early August. I guess we'll get there when we get there.

The "not quite ready" asphalt parking lot. It will one day hold 200+ cars.

Paving of the parking lot forced a cancellation of the planned July 4th pic-nic. A few of the Woodland faithful, however, didn't let that get in the way of enjoying the Lake Junaluska fireworks show. We just parked across the street from the new building, broke out the lawn chairs, drinks, and snacks, and enjoyed a pleasant summer's evening with friends and fireworks.

Pastor Timmy showing off his new hair style.

Woodland's fireworks watchers enjoying fellowship before the big show.

While were waiting for the fireworks show to start, Virgil gave some of us a sneak peek at the interior progress in the new building.

"Almost completed" risers in the choir loft.

"Nearly ready" built-in work area in the church office.

"Close to finished" children's classroom.

5 Weeks To Go

We're counting down the days until Kickoff Sunday on July 20th! Check out the billboard on the highway between Canton and Clyde. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

The new "old rugged cross" on the front of the steeple tower

The spacious parking lot is almost ready for paving.

View from the front door to the parking lot

Woodland Gets First Look At New Building Interior

View of the stage area of the sanctuary

Tours of the new church facility interior were given last Sunday afternoon by Pastor Alan Davis and Virgil Keene. Virgil has been serving as the Building and Grounds Committee's on-site "watchdog", making sure that everything is being done according to our plans, and construction quality remains up to expected standards. Virgil's many years of experience in the construction industry enables him to make sure that our building is being built right.

Virgil Keene and Pastor Alan discuss the building tour schedule

Those who took the tour were no doubt impressed with the amount of thought that is going into the design and construction of the building. The building as a whole is impressive, but after we move in and start using the building, the thought that went into the details will be what amazes you most. Here are a few views of the inside of the building. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

The main hall, with church offices to the right

Entrance foyer, looking into the sanctuary

Looking down the hallway of the children's classroom wing

The spacious fellowship hall

View of the rear of the sanctuary. The "house-shaped" opening in the wall is the location for the sound crew.

Getting Stoned

Since I haven't been able to get inside the building for a couple of weeks now, all I can show is how the stone work on the front of the building is progressing. It's going to look real nice when it's all finished.


I've peeked in the widows and can see sheet rock going up, and air conditioning ducts above the ceiling. Hopefully, I'll be able to update some inside photos soon. Oh yeah, the completion date is estimated at mid-July now. That's not too far off!