Coming from all walks of life and from churches across the nation, Carpenters for Christ members have made building churches and growing spiritually their priority. And New Ebenezer Baptist Church, Lapine, in Alabama-Crenshaw Association, recently experienced that craftsmanship firsthand as builders helped the congregation work on its new church building.
Carpenters for Christ brought together 51 men from 18 churches in seven states for one week to help Ebenezer construct their new facility.
William Leverette, pastor of New Ebenezer, said Carpenters for Christ helped to bring in a new spiritual atmosphere to the church.
“The Carpenters for Christ coming is fantastic, and I am really impressed and a better person from them coming to help us,” he said. “People have come from all walks of life, and we would have never been able to complete this project without their help.”
Leverette said the new facility will be 4,300 square feet and will include the church’s first baptistry.
“Other churches have had to share their baptismals with us throughout the years, but now we will be able to incorporate baptisms into our services.”
He said he expects construction of the entire project to be completed by fall 2004.
Ronald Davis, superintendent for the Carpenters for Christ program and a member of New Ebenezer, said he made the suggestion to send the group to help New Ebenezer.
“We stepped out on faith, and I have been very blessed by the experience, especially because it is my home church,” he said.
Dick Byers, the project coordinator and founder of Carpenters for Christ, said his organization has been making trips to help churches with construction projects since 1987.
New Ebenezer is the first church within Alabama to receive help from the Carpenters for Christ this year.
Byers, a member of Eastmont Baptist Church in Montgomery, said he founded Carpenters for Christ to build churches to further the teachings of Jesus Christ and to help the men he works with to grow spiritually.
“We have 24 to 26 devotions a day, and our men help with the music during worship services,” he said.
“We have taken pew warmers, which some of these men were, and turned them into people who are doing something for Christ like becoming Sunday School teachers. And that is just as important as building the church itself.”
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