On August 27th, 2017 more than two thousand people, members and non-members, gathered at First Baptist Texarkana. Their newfound curiosity? A sanctuary with a renovation ringing up a whopping 1.4 million dollars.
The campaign “To the King” began in February 2017. After worshiping in the same room for 32 years, leaders of First Baptist agreed it was time to bring the room up to date. The carpet in the church was frayed and pulled up in multiple areas, the pews had carvings in the wood, and the paint was old. The church made a bold statement that honoring God included taking care of “His House,” which meant fixing what looked unpleasant. This would involve a new sound system, new flooring, stadium style seating, added railing in the balcony for safety, and fresh coats of paint. To do it right, the church had to raise 1.4 million dollars in donations. After several weeks of prayer and offerings, the total sum amounted to $1,535,408.
Members had the opportunity to stake a claim to one of the old pews if they wished, and those not claimed were donated to churches in need. A day was also dedicated for people to sign their names and write thoughts and prayers where the new flooring would be laid. In a sense, they had the opportunity to leave their mark on history.
The overhaul took 83 days, and a few changes had to be made for this to happen. Sunday morning service was held in three different areas of the church. As if this wasn’t hectic enough, these rooms still didn’t have the capacity to hold the usual Sunday crowd. So, there were two different times offered for services.
Without a baptistery accessible, no weekly baptisms were held. However, FBC made the best of it and hosted a summer celebration. Everyone who had been saved during the summer renovation was baptized outside on the church softball field. A little untraditional, but hey, there was free food and sand volleyball! While it was interesting to have a change of venue, members were glad when everything settled back down to normal. An anonymous member even joked “It’s nice to be back in the sanctuary. I just hope people know I hold season tickets to this row of seats.”
All in all, First Baptist Texarkana did a wonderful job. Even though they updated the room to give it a modern feel, the original stained glass is still intact. If you have a Sunday morning free, you should add making a visit to your list of things to do. Deacon Bill Gordon says, “While the remodeled sanctuary is truly beautiful, it is only so because it honors God”
For some, visiting a church might not be a priority. If that is you, there is a YouTube video to check out that is worth watching. You will feel like you are a part of the action.