Retiree Builders shore up skills
on reinforced project in Tahoe City
___By Becky Bridges & Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___TAHOE CITY, Calif.--More than 30 Texas Baptist retired couples spent the summer near Lake Tahoe. But unlike other visitors to the popular vacation site, they devoted every daylight hour to the hard work of framing and decking a church building designed to withstand an earthquake.
__
| |
TONY WHITTEN of Royse City works with the Texas Baptist Men___ Retiree Builders on First Baptist Church of Tahoe City.
|
_The Texas Baptist Men Retiree Builders crew started work May 18 in Tahoe City, building a new facility for First Baptist Church. Three months later, the builders were sunburned, their thumbs were sore and their muscles ached. And they couldn't stop grinning as they talked about the challenge of building an earthquake-resistant church facility.
___The church building not only lies near the California/Nevada state line, but also near a major fault line. The facility is in a "level-three" area--a region where earthquakes are very likely. That meant it had to be built with oversized, reinforced beams, and it had to meet stringent local building codes.
___"We had to build this church differently than anything I've ever seen," said Retiree Builder Gene Stapp of Mabank. "The building will be so sound, you could practically pick it up, roll it down the hill, and it wouldn't break apart."
___First Baptist Church of Tahoe City has been planning the building for 10 years and saving for three, according to Pastor Dan Holzer. The facility not only will provide a place for worship and Bible study but also will house many of the community ministries offered by First Baptist Church, including a variety of programs for youth and children.
___"It makes it worth it when we see how valuable this church is to the community," said Carol King of Tulia, who came to Tahoe with her husband, Gene.
___While the builders worked on the construction project, their wives helped with a Vacation Bible School and a summer school program for the children of working parents, both sponsored by First Baptist Church.
___For the duration of the building project, the Retiree Builders lived in their recreational vehicles, parked near the construction site. One of the workers at Tahoe City stayed in a borrowed camper, provided by someone who heard about the project but was unable to participate due to health reasons.
___"When God calls these couples, he provides a way for it to happen in some way or another," said Jim Furgerson, executive director-treasurer of Texas Baptist Men.
___The Texans who worked in Tahoe City are among more than 1,400 volunteers who have served with the Texas Baptist Men Retiree Builders, including church builders, camp builders and special project builders.
___Last year, they built 35 churches, 13 facilities at Texas Baptist encampments and special projects ranging from apartment complexes for a Baptist seminary in Canada to a family visitation center near an East Texas prison. So far this year, the Retiree Builders have worked on about 20 churches, 10 camps and several special projects.
___Through their gifts to the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions, members of churches affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas provided many of the tools the Texas Baptist Men Retiree Builders use.
___The challenge of building an earthquake-resistant facility meant the Tahoe City project proceeded much more slowly than most church buildings. While the Retiree Builders left the building more than half completed, additional work is needed to get the building "in the dry" before snow begins to fall in a few weeks.
___Needs include carpenters with construction experience, volunteers with basic skills in construction, unskilled laborers, drywall hangers, sheetrock tapers, drop ceiling installers, painters, door and cabinet installers, tile layers and carpet layers.
___Both short-term and long-term workers are welcome, according to Furgerson. For more information, contact Gene Stapp at (903) 880-3326 or job foreman Wes Friesen at (775) 240-9798.
___
The Baptist Standard
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook