WASHINGTON, Ind.—The new roof on Grace Baptist Church was a testimony of God’s provision, Pastor Louis Showers told local media outlets who became interested in the recent remodeling project partially funded by the Baptist Builder’s Club.
- Read “Grace Baptist’s New Roof Comes from Above” from the Washington Times-Herald.
- Watch “Miraculous Project for One Local Church” from WTHITV.com
The church had gotten plenty of value from the original 1979 roof, but knew it would not last forever.
“Unfortunately, funds were always really tight, Showers told the Washington Times Herald. “We began to do some research and through the association we are part of, they have what they call a Baptist Builder’s Club.”
Michael Nolan, director of Baptist Builder’s Club, took the call from Pastor Showers and explained how the Build Up program gives grants to existing churches.
“We do more than give money to hurting churches. We offer funding to churches so they can make needed repairs without going into debt,” Nolan says, explaining how this helps churches solve facility needs without curtailing vital outreach and discipleship ministries that might otherwise suffer.
The resulting grant of $7,000 covered most of the $9,000 material expense. When the church learned that labor costs would be an additional $20,000, Showers contacted Continental Baptist Missions and asked for more assistance.
CBM arranged for help from the Nehemiah program, a group of full-time volunteers who help with church construction and remodeling projects around the country. The team included project leader Steve Meyers and his wife, Anna; Geoff and Donna Bondi; Jeff and Barb Kaiser; and Dick and Selma Patrick.
Further demonstrating the power of Baptist networking, the missionary builders were assisted by a work team from Bible Baptist Church, Kokomo, Ind., led by Randy Teachout.
As an additional benefit, the project attracted plenty of attention. Pastor Showers describes Washington as tightly knit community of 12,000, the sort of place where bad news travels fast, especially if a church suffers through a traumatic period. “I’ve gotten burned with the media in the past,” Showers says, “but when these stories came out, I was delighted with the coverage.”
“This really was a positive thing for us in the community. We could not have asked for a better testimony of what God is doing.”
- Learn more about the Baptist Builder’s Club Build UP program
