October 29, 2001

Baptists help build interdenominational church
___By George Henson
___Staff Writer
___COTTONWOOD SHORES--The walls of Cottonwood Community Church going up may be evidence that some denominational barriers are coming down.
___The 873 people who live in the Hill Country community located near Marble Falls, about 45 minutes northwest of Austin, come from a number of faith backgrounds, and some have no religious history at all. For that reason, Pastor Bentley Martin discovered

A CROSS forms in the framework of Cottonwood Community Church as volunteer builders raise the walls.

a church without a direct denominational tie was more appealing to those living in the area.
___The former member of Highland Lakes Baptist Church in Kingsland said the Cottonwood church will have a definite Baptist flavor, however.
___"Methodists and Baptists definitely will feel comfortable here, because that's my background, but we try to make everyone feel comfortable here whatever their background," Martin said.
___The church was established in 1997 and now averages 30 in Sunday morning attendance and 50 in home Bible study attendance. But because the average household income in the area is about $12,000 annually, the church had not been unable to construct a building until now. Instead, they met in homes and then in the volunteer fire station.
___Land was donated to the church in the spring of 1998, and since that time the families in the area have held barbecues and spaghetti dinners to raise money for the 2,752-square-foot facility that will accommodate worship space for 96 people, children's educational facilities and a community kitchen and pantry.
___The small community still would be without a church were it not for assistance from other churches in the area and beyond--and help from Habitat for Humanity.
___A large non-denominational North Texas church got the ball rolling with $25,000 to pour the foundation for the structure and another $25,000 donation to help buy building materials. A local church also helped with a smaller donation.
___"None of us had any money. We were just going on faith, and now all this is just donated," Martin said as he gestured at the materials for constructing the building.
___Members of the congregation have invested in building the church as well. "It's taken

VOLUNTEERS work together to cut lumber for the church construction project.

every dime everybody around here has to get this done," the pastor said. Together, the church and community raised about $13,000 of the $97,000 needed to put up the building.
___Construction has been made more affordable by the willingness of members of some Texas Baptist churches to serve, as well as the help of the Highland Lakes chapter of Habitat for Humanity. An insurance appraiser valued the structure at $300,000.
___Churches with members participating in the construction included not only the Cottonwood Shores church, but also First Baptist Church in Austin, First Baptist Church in Sunrise Beach and Highland Lakes Baptist Church. The Austin church also donated hymnals.
___"They got new hymnals for their choir and gave us the old ones. But their choir is bigger than our church, so it worked out just right," Martin said
___The involvement of the Baptist churches in constructing a non-denominational church was an encouragement to Martin, he said.
___"We've seen some of the walls of denominationalism come down a bit," he said. "I've been surprised by it a little bit, but things are going well. We know we agree on the big things."
___His background as a Baptist also has helped.
___"I think with the Baptist churches, they know me, they know my background, and they know I was a member of Highland Lakes Baptist Church when God called me to reach this community in the first place," he said.
___Seeing the struggling body of believers maintain their faith also seems to help people of all denominations.
___"One of our big anonymous donors is a member of a Catholic church in one of the towns around here," Martin explained. "When we first started our home Bible studies, we had one of the Catholic priests forbid his people for attending, so I see that as a positive step."
___It is important that the church be built now, because more young families are moving into Cottonwood Shores with young children, Martin said.
___"We knew the money would come, and it has. God's been good to us, it just took longer than anybody imagined."
___

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