As the sounds of saws, trucks and construction workers filled the air, more than a sanctuary was being built at First Baptist Church, Montgomery. Rush Stallings was building relationships that would lead him and his family to the church.
“From the first day we came (to worship services), it was obvious to me and my family that this was the place we’re supposed to be,” Stallings said.
Stallings, vice president of Bear Brothers, Inc., and his family had been looking for a church home since last December.
Although initially reluctant to attend a church he was working on as project manager, Stallings’ dealings with First, Montgomery, members convinced him to give the church a try. “When you’re building a project, you get to see what people really are,” he said. “We established relationships far beyond building another building.”
So on the opening Sunday of the new sanctuary — July 11 — Stallings and his family joined First, Montgomery.
The church’s pastor, Jay Wolf, said he hopes that story will be repeated as visitors come to the church and worship inside the new building. “I’m interested in seeing God transform the building into a tool,” he said.
When First, Montgomery, began thinking of expanding 10 years ago, the initial problem was where to expand.
Many churches were moving out of downtown to east Montgomery where they could have larger campuses and buildings. But Wolf said the members of First, Montgomery, didn’t want to do that.
“We feel like God gave us the assignment of downtown (Montgomery) to stay near the need,” Wolf said. “God has allowed us to be strong here because we are the hands of Jesus in the center of the city.”
So instead of accepting offers of donated land and moving out, the church decided to build up.
Demolishing two older buildings, the church built a 96,879-square-feet four-story building to house a new sanctuary, kitchen, fellowship hall and educational space.
Room to grow
The building increased the sanctuary’s seating space to slightly more than 1,600 people, allowing the church to move from three worship services to two.
The additional educational space was included to give the church rooms to grow into, Wolf said.
He said the church wanted the new sanctuary to blend seamlessly with and be comparable to the original sanctuary built in 1905, both inside and out.
But because the original sanctuary was built with Georgia marble, Tiffany stained-glass windows and and other beautiful, but costly, materials the church faced an “extraordinary expense” in building, Wolf said.
“The lowest point was the day the bids came in,” said Patti Shoemaker, church administrator.
Fund raising began with the church looking at a $12–13 million price tag, but when the first bids came in September 1999, they were more than double that. So began nine months of paring costs, and a rebid at the price of $23 million was chosen.
“What was remarkable, the people never stopped giving,” said Wolf. “It speaks highly of our congregation and our sense of faith.” That continuous giving and subsequent investments allowed the church to stockpile money before building began.
Wolf said during a five-year fund-raising period, the congregation has paid $17–18 million of the costs, so the church has an indebtedness of $5 million.
But the extra expense was worth it, Wolf said. “If we’re going to do something for Christ, let’s give it our very best, like Solomon building the temple. This church represents our best.”
Top materials, amenities
That best includes a state-of the-art kitchen and fellowship hall, the latest in audiovisual equipment and an exterior of Georgia marble and stucco. The combination separates the new building from the old while connecting it to the past.
Besides containing the best materials and amenities, the building also contains much symbolism.
Wolf said crosses have been included in the design where possible, especially in the windows both in the crossbars of classroom windows and in the sanctuary’s stained glass. Those windows depict biblical scenes and symbolism ranging from lambs, doves and the bread and wine of the Last Supper to the Lamb resting on the Book of Life from Revelation.
“The church (building) is a sermon in stone,” Wolf said, “and we have intentionally embedded Christian symbols everywhere around the church.”
Wolf said the building program has had its struggles, such as the expense and the emotion tied to leaving the old sanctuary. The congregation has been worshiping in there for nearly 100 years, he explained.
“People have been married here, baptized here, seen their children and grandchildren get married and baptized here,” he said. “There are deep roots of emotion connected to it.”
However, the new facilities and added capacity for new ministries have brought an excitement into the church, Wolf said.
There are plans for creating and reinforcing ministries, as well as some dreams, like opening a 24-hour restaurant and producing new television shows in-house.
“It’s been the culmination of so much by so many,” Wolf said. “Ephesians 3:20–21 was our building theme: ‘Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!’
“Well, God has outrun our expectations,” he said.
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