Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / June 2, 1988, edition 1 / Page 11
Part of The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
J un< s Hi inrlrc N '<W* BY DOUG RUTTER "Even though you've been to a few, it's absolutely wonderful to have one for your own congregation," an exhausted Gene Smith said as he massaged his aching back, wiped his sweaty brow and marveled at what had been accomplished over the weekend. After all, approximately 500 Jehovah's Witnesses had used the quick-build concept to turn a slab of cement and rough building frame into a place of worship in just 56 hours. With quick-build projects, volunteers from all over the country come to a site for an entire weekend to help build a new meeting hall. This past weekend, the site was on U.S. 17 about five miles south of Shallotte. As Smith put it, "a small army of ants invaded" the area Friday, laying siege to what appeared to be a parking lot with the inkling of a future building. But when the dust cleared Sunday night, a 4,152-square-foot structure complete with running water, air conditioning, furniture, burglar alarms, a front-yard sprinkler system and lighted exit signs stood ready for use. Jehovah's Witnesses in western Brunswick County had their first Kingdom Hall. Smith, a resident of Shallotte and chairman of the local committee which organized the project, said materials for the hall cost about $105,000. A five-member regional committee provided guidance to the local committee in organizing and executing the quick-build project. Regional committee member Ken Anderson of Myrtle Beach, S.C., said volunteers have built about a half dozen such halls in this region, which includes most of South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina, within the past year. "We've got quite a number more on the books being planned," he added. The regional committee coordinates local efforts in its area by scheduling dates for each project and sending out letters requesting the assistance of other Jehovah's Witnesses, he said. Across the nation, he continued, there have been 300 quick-build kingdom halls raised over the past two years alone. The projects are also carried out in Canada, Mexico and other foreign countries. Sheldon McQuarters, who does uuoaiuiiai^ vvui i\ ill UiCUclUUi, was walking around the construction site Friday afternoon, occasionally stopping to take photographs which he plans to show to Jehovah's Witnesses in South America. Since he had not been to the United States in five years and quick-build projects have just become popular in the last couple of years, the local project was the first he had ever witnessed. "It's very impressive," he said. "It's tremendous construction speed." Although quick-build halls cannot be raised in Ecuador because of the climate and lack of skilled personnel, he said congregations there ma.' be able to use some of the principles of the projects, such as unity and togetherness, to build a stronger following. While McQuarters traveled the far9 xX v 1 DUCTWORK on the Kingdom Mali' system was the task for these two he! bia, S.C., Friday afternoon. Frank der ds Wort thest distance to witness the quic build project, there were several pe pie from Ohio who took part in the a tual construction. John Coventer, for one, came ? the way from Wellington, Ohio, supervise the hanging and finishir of sheetrock. While he has participated in other quick-build projects, Covenb said this was the farthest he has evi traveled to help build a new kingdo hall. "They needed help, and when v heard they needed help we decided come down," he said. Todd Parks of San I^andro, Calil also traveled a good distance to he out. As he and Mike Stanley of Oce. Isle Beach hung wallpaper in tl men's restroom Sunday afternoo he explained that he scheduled h vacation around the quick-build pr ject. Many of the volunteers, includu I,oree Payne and her husban Patrick, came from South Caroline "Everybody likes workit logetner and we trust one another said Mrs. Payne. "I've grown up wi a lot of these people." As she assisted in the installation air conditioning ducts Friday afte noon, she talked about the 20 hal she has helped build in the past fe years, including two built in 01 weekend last year in Asheville. "We're going to be doing one Beaufort (S.C.) next year," she ad ed. "If we help them now mayl they'll help us." Like many other workers from o of town, the Paynes camped on tl church grounds throughout t! weekend. Others rented hotel roor or simply stayed with a local frien In addition to the many visitoi there were also more than a hundr locals involved in the various phas of construction. Among the county residents pt ticipating were Jason Willis Southport and Joel Reeves Shallotte. As a light rain fell Frid; afternoon, the two young friends co tinued to pound nails on the partiall completed roof. "I've done lots of them," said tl 13-year-old Willis. "My dad does th all around North and Soul Carolina." Despite the rain which fell Fridi night and Saturday morning, wo: never stopped from 7 a.m. Friday u til 3 p.m. Sunday, when the fir meeting was held in the new buildin A building inspector was also < site at ah times to check each pha of construction as it was completer Smith said the rain caused about 12-hour delay in shingling the ro< but added that the volunteers mai up for it with harder work. Besides the weather, the only oth minor problem during the weekei nrrurrpH tvhpn the monnfanhir delivered roof trusses of the wroi size. Smith said the supports we adjusted and the problem was cc reeted in about three hours. "All things considered, it went re smooth," he said. "We don't ha* any complaints." Smith said the final "odds ai ends" inside the building should I completed within the next few week ?A* %. Jhi ^ v;k. * T^V*' s air conditioning Justin Toole s; Ipers from Colum- quick-build pr? Torres, left, and the sun < Together To Bu meanuine^i^saunu^ix^thcncw Kingdom Hall. "We expect I o- pects a congregation of nearly 130 to grow real quick," he added, c- people to hold all of its meetings in Previously, Brunswick County O- . ~ * - ' - - - - ? - ? ' T- " *> ...' -PV- - ' % - - . ?'~Vr -~r - J ~ > .. ?i r . '* ::, in A FEW BAGS of dried cement and scraps of wood were all that remained o d- the ground when the building was completed about 3 p.m. Sunday. In thi t>e er ~ id wM m, er >'-';t?T KSui' ? PR^^kis^ ^ e ANGELA MILLS of Shallottc plants day lilies in front of the new hall Sunda a ftp moon as hor Hanahtnr PhHcHnn innbr ?? t ? ? -1' * v.,..guuv, <>u. i.iac iii.im) uiners wno worn 1tj ed all weekend on the project, Mrs. Mills said she was relieved when it wa te over. "We were looking forward to this since last fall and now it's done. It' s. great." i ! 1 aid they have participated in six other JOSEPH BRANTLEY, right, of ?jects this year. wooden studs us Monroe Snooks assists. Both said they hove bee ! ! V , THE BRUNSWICKfeBEACON E5 Thursday, June 2, 1988 B ild Kingdom Hall it only Kingdom Hall for Jehovah's Bolivia. Another quick-build project Witnesses was the one located on has been planned for later this year 's Midway Road between Southport and in the Inland area. - * . - , - " jii- r. STAFF PHOTOS B V DOUG RUT IIP n photo, about 400 Jehovah's Witnesses line up outside the structure prior to s the first meeting. B - ^hB aifcL^ frc i Bk m - *??*??-., /"I^P ^Mk^JL ,flk ^" p ^Wof/mi*****-**. S RUDY PATTERSON of Columbia, S.C., was laying brick early Friday afters noon. He was one of about 300 volunteers on site when the church-raising began at 7 a.m. Friday. v\ \ % %, Beaufort, S.C., cuts quick-build projects in the past and enjoy traveling to of Ridgeland, S.C., iifferent places across the Carolinas. n involved in many
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
June 2, 1988, edition 1
11
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75