Participants of the groundbreaking pictured (from left to right): Wayne Henry, Christina Margraves, Taylor Smith, Stan Coker, Leslie Montgomery, Ron Powers, Dale Rardin, Mike Carter, Chris Gaither, Elaine Pennington, Hal Cantrell, Marcie McMillan, Karen Robinson, Michael Bradley, Eddie Ingle
Ooltewah Baptist Church celebrated the groundbreaking for the first phase of a multiple phase effort to improve the buildings and grounds at its campus located at 5514 Main Street in Ooltewah. The groundbreaking ceremony took place at 10:15 am Sunday, June 22nd in front of the Burl McMillan Activities Building.
The campaign to raise funds for this project is titled “R3” (Revive Restore Renew and is based on Psalm 51:10). The goal of the R3 campaign is to expand and improve the Burl McMillan Activity Building in support of the many ministries of the church. This renewed space will support ministries to all ages in the church and community.
The campaign began in March 2013. The church has received gifts and pledges totaling approximately 92% of its fundraising goal of $685,000 for this phase of improvements. Some pledges are still coming in and the church anticipates reaching its fundraising goal soon.
This building has served the church and the community well over the past 40 plus years. This expansion and renovation project will result in a new kitchen addition with state of the art kitchen equipment, a new storage addition to free up space in the building for four new classrooms, all new furniture, finishes, and systems; and upgraded audio visual and production lighting systems to allow the space to serve as a multipurpose venue for worship, conferences, meals, athletics, education, and more.
Construction will begin in July and it is anticipated that within six months the project will be complete.
Facilities planning efforts began in 2011 with the selection of Rardin and Carroll Architects to perform a complete assessment of the campus facilities. This assessment resulted in the identification of a multi phased approach to improve the facilities that support the ongoing ministries as they continue into the future. The planning for phase 1 of the project began in 2012 with the hiring of Rardin and Carroll Architects to complete the design of the expansion and renovation of the Burl McMillan Activities Building. Fund raising efforts began in March 2013 and the General Contractor, Cherokee Construction Company, was hired in 2014. The team consisting of OBC, RCA and GC have now completed the design, budget and schedule. Construction will begin soon.
The planning and fundraising efforts have called on the help of almost all the church's members and friends. The planning and design review efforts have been led by the OBC project team of fourteen members led by Hal Cantrell. There have been fundraising activities led by the fundraising team of seven members originally led by Elaine Henry (deceased) now by Ron Powers. The project design was also guided by input from various committees and the staff.
Special guests present at the groundbreaking included Leslie Montgomery, president of Cherokee Construction Company, the general contractor for the project, Dale Rardin, owner at Rardin & Carroll Architects, the designers of the project, and Mike Carter, State Representative for the Ooltewah area.
"June 22nd was a very special day in the life of OBC. In addition to this groundbreaking ceremony the church commissioned two mission teams. One team was commissioned to go to Italy and be an evangelistic witness of the Gospel of Christ there while another team was commissioned to “Engage Ooltewah” this summer right here at home," church officials stated. "God continues to bless OBC through His faithfulness and through the faithfulness of His people. We look forward to joining Him as He continues to work in the lives of people here in Ooltewah, the Chattanooga area, Tennessee, America and around the world."