F'ville First Baptist breaks ground for new Ministry Center

F'ville

First Baptist breaks ground for new Ministry Center

Putting their

"hands to the plow," members of the

Fayetteville First Baptist Church joined together to

break ground on the church's new Ministry Center in a

celebration service held April 30.

Holding long ropes attached

to a golden plow, members pulled in unison, to draw a

furrow in the ground. At the head of the plow was the

church's, oldest active member, 93-year-old Mrs. Beryl

Crowe; its newest member, eight-year-old Zachary Randolph

of Peachtree City; and Pastor Emeritus Jack Overton, who

led First Baptist for 24 years until his retirement in

1985.

Representatives from

Fayetteville, Fayette County, the Georgia Baptist

Convention and the South Metro Baptist Association were

on hand to participate.

The 60,000 sq. ft., $6

million facility has been in the planning and fund

raising stages for three years. When finished, it will

nearly double the total square footage of First Baptist's

current facilities and greatly expand the church's

ability to minister to the community.

"Our meeting place is

downtown Fayetteville, "explained Pastor Frank

Ellis. "That means land will always be limited. This

building maximizes what we can do."

The three-story

multipurpose building-which will be called the

Ministry Center due to the vast array of opportunities it

will provide-will include an auditorium with a

seating capacity of more than 1,000, a dining hall and

kitchen facilities which can handle 400 people at a

regular meal, 24 new classrooms, three midsize meeting

rooms large enough to accommodate seminars and

receptions, and recreational facilities, including a

full-size gymnasium which will be able to accommodate

conventions, health and fitness classes, large-scale

fellowships, area-wide crusades and more.

"Most simply put, this

building will provide a lot of places where the Holy

spirit will guide our congregation as we join Him in

helping hurting people, growing up the next generation of

Christian leaders, equipping families to succeed,

teaching the Word of God and inviting the lost and dying

to wholesomeness and eternal life," said Pastor

Ellis. "It will be a great place to Worship, Care,

Reach and Disciple," he added, citing the church's

mission.

Members were given

commemorative vials which they filled with the broken

dirt to keep as prayer reminders of the building's

purpose. Pastor Ellis said the plow used in the

groundbreaking was the same one used to break ground on

First Baptist's current sanctuary, built in 1965. It was

used again in the early 1980s to break ground on Harp's

Crossing Baptist Church, which was a mission of

Fayetteville First Baptist.

Swofford Construction Co.

of Austell is the general contractor for the facility.

Construction will begin immediately and is expected to be

completed in about one year.

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