Church to dedicate new sanctuary
Wood, nails and concrete were some of the tools used to build Living Faith Church’s new sanctuary, but it was the church’s congregation that labored in constructed the new building – literally.
The congregation broke ground on the new sanctuary in April 2006, beginning two years of hard work and dedication that are about to pay off.
Although the congregation has been worshipping in the new building since November, Living Faith will hold a dedication ceremony for the facility at 4 p.m. Sunday.
The Rev. Pat Thrumer said the new building was financed and built entirely by church parishioners, who sacrificed their time and money to see the project all the way through.
“It was a delightful project, and I’m very proud of our whole congregation, who helped in big and small ways,” he said. “We’re thankful to God, because we merely work through his people.”
Thrumer said the new sanctuary was needed once the church’s congregation grew over the years.
Established in 1979, Living Faith boasts upward of 130 regulars members, but balloons to more than 200 during the holidays.
Thrumer is the church’s fourth full-time pastor, arriving in 1997.
He said the church is “blessed” to have so many parishioners with the necessary construction knowledge.
“We have quite a few skilled members, and they did a lot of what was needed to do,” Thrumer said. “Now we will have more room and to accommodate the growth of our community.”
Mark Soholt, owner of Viking Construction and an original congregation member, acted as building committee chairman for the church.
He said the 7,900-square-foot building was built on the “unbelievable willingness” of the church’s congregation members, who sacrificed their Saturdays for two years to complete the project.
“It was the tremendous willingness of the congregation to do whatever it was we asked them to do (that got this project done),” Soholt said.
Though the groundbreaking took place in 2006, the process actually began in 2003 when a building committee was established.
From dry wall to sheet rock, from paving, landscaping and installing the sprinkler system, everything was done by the church’s members. Only the building’s steel framework was contracted out.
“Some guys learned as they helped,” Soholt added. “We had one guy who was into computers and he went out and hung some drywall. And he was good at it.”
A final design was approved in 2004, and a capital campaign was kicked off to raise the money needed to make those design plans a reality.
A pictorial record of the sanctuary’s erection is available at the Living Faith Web site, following the project from groundbreaking to when the church received its certificate of occupancy in November.
Everyone is welcome to attend the dedication ceremony. For more information, call 574-3949, or visit: livingfaithcapecoral.com.