Philadelphia Baptist Church, Smiths Station, celebrated the tripling of its facilities March 24 with a worship service, luncheon and an afternoon dedication.
Pastor John Rigby said there was good reason for the expansion.
“Since 1991, 81 new subdivisions have come to the area,” he said. “We went from a sleepy hollow town of about 7,000 to 25,000 living within a five-mile radius of the church.”
Rigby said they had reached capacity, even having two morning services, but people still had to leave because there was not enough room.
Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Convention, was guest speaker at the dedication.
“He delivered a very good message,” said Rigby.
“He used 1 Peter as his text, speaking about how Christ is the chief Cornerstone, and reminding us of the importance of using our facilities to bring people in to hear the gospel.” The church also welcomed five new members during the service.
Philadelphia began serving in the Smiths Station community in 1829, and for four year and 10 months, church members, including men, women and children, began working to renovate and build to triple its former size.
“We built onto existing facilities and made the gym the new worship center, but we also added new buildings,” Rigby said, adding that a lot of money was saved because of the help of members.
Some members provided meals while others swept floors, painted and worked with construction. Friends of the members also helped, along with a weekend of help from First Baptist Church, Trussville.
“The church ended up only having to hire for setting steel and things like that,” Rigby said.
The sanctuary, which used to hold 225, will now seat 800, and the educational space will accommodate 1,400 people.
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