Church readies for open house

The Farmington First Baptist Church will be dedicating their new Family Life Center on Sunday at 2 p.m. with an open house, tours and guest speakers.

Minister of Education Chuck Henson said there will be guests on hand to talk about the process of designing and constructing the new facility.

“Anyone who had anything to do with the building … Brockmiller Construction, the bank, Mary Lee Faircloth and others … will be talking about their involvement in the building Sunday,” said Henson. There will be refreshments and tours.

The church has added a new drive through and drop off area, a new entryway and welcome center with tables and chairs. They will also have coffee and snacks during social gatherings and there is an elevator to access the different levels. They have added a new kitchen area, a regulation high school gymnasium with a stage, and walking track.

“Kids are able to play basketball or have two volleyball courts. The new gym floor is vinyl. Some of the schools in the area have updated theirs recently (with this material) and they are really nice,” said Henson.

The building also has a conference area for meetings and Bible studies, a large storage area, and the “Lighthouse Harbor,” a children’s worship center.

Henson said there will be a new parking lot where the old Turner Chevrolet building was located. In recent years the church used the re-purposed building as a youth group gathering place.

“The construction crews will be putting asphalt on the parking lot and adding new lights in the near future,” said Henson.

Now the youth have a lounge area, kitchenette, a stage area for their band and a place for their games and other activities. They also have use of the gym.

“We have been looking for a place for the youth to go for a while and congregate,” said Henson. He added this is not just for their church, but is something for everyone in the community.

“Everyone is excited about all the things we have added and included in the addition,” said Henson. There will be a lot of volunteers, and the church is in the process of training people to help where needed.

Henson said he and Youth Minister Jason Welker have worked on policies and procedures associated with the new building and want it to be used to help with ministries. “A lot of prayers and meetings went into this. This has been five years in the making. When we put a facility in we hope it will add to the city of Farmington,” he added. They are hoping to expand the current youth program with open gym times, and open the walking track and offer other programs to the community.

Henson said during the annual “You are the Light” mission program the new kitchen will be used to serve food to volunteers.