Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church’s new sanctuary provides a lot more space for services — and its pastor hopes it will attract more people wanting to learn about God.
The church, which is at 705 Henderson St., will have a dedication service for the sanctuary at 2 p.m. Sunday. There will be no Sunday school or morning service that day.
“I didn’t want to do anything here until I dedicated it to the Lord,” the Rev. Charlie Smith said. “Then we’ll move on from there.”
The church, which has about 65 members, previously held services in a sanctuary that could hold about 110 people. The new one can accommodate about 350 and has all new pews.
Smith said it provides enough space for the delivery of a eulogy, which the previous sanctuary lacked. It has a baptismal pool, so baptisms no longer have to be performed elsewhere. It also could host other events such as concerts if the members want it, he said.
The church had been saving money for about three years for the project, which cost $216,000. Smith, who has been pastor there for about eight years, did the construction work with his brother, Arthur.
Smith, 67, has plenty of experience in that field. He built his own house, and he has been buying and fixing up rental properties for years. For about eight years, he and his brother made good money upgrading buildings to make them accessible to the handicapped, he said.
For about a year since the sanctuary’s metal frame went up, Smith has worked six-day weeks to finish the project, including some in bad weather. There also was a delay when the company that was to make the pew arms went out of business, so another supplier had to be found.
But when people asked him where he found the energy for the work, he had a simple answer.
“A lot of people don’t understand, when you’re working for the Lord, it’s completely different from working on an ordinary job,” he said. “He’s going to give you what you need. ... I never went home one day tired.”
He said the church’s members also gave him freedom to do the work his way. “Everything that I wanted to do — what the vision was — it’s here,” he said.
Smith has other things he’d like to do. He plans to add a fellowship hall at Baldwin Chapel M.B. Church in Cruger, where he also is pastor. He wants to add a multipurpose building, with computers for students and senior citizens, on land near Pilgrim Rest that the church owns.
“You’ve got so many children that don’t have computers in this area, and the library closes at 5:00,” he said. “So they’re left struggling to do their homework.”
But this week, he’s been preparing for the sanctuary’s debut, and he said the church’s members are excited about it.
And, he added with a smile, “I’m excited, too.”
- Contact David Monroe at 581-7236 or dmonroe@gwcommonwealth.com.
