It took four years but the Morinville Baptist Church has finally been rebuilt. While the fire in September 2012 reduced the former structure to ashes, one could say that a resurrection of the church was a sure thing. This weekend, everyone is invited to an open house to see for themselves.
Pastor Bill Wicks said that the new church is better than ever. The building itself is very similar to the previous one but there are several improvements.
“We have an elevator in the new place, which is really helpful. We didn’t realize how much it would get used but probably every Sunday pretty well there’s somebody using it so that’s nice.”
The church has been reopened for several weeks. Its parishioners have certainly noticed that it’s about 400 square feet larger with more educational space in the three small classrooms in the basement. There are also windows for the basement to help enlighten the students. There’s a large kitchen to help with social functions such as those that will happen this weekend.
That will start off on Saturday with a free community breakfast from 8 a.m. until noon, after which guests can enjoy tours of the new facility until 4:30 p.m. During that tour, they will probably notice that the staircase, once located on the building’s exterior, has been moved inside to a vestibule. The old front had a lot of wood and not much for windows. This has been improved. It looks “inviting,” Wicks noted.
All of the changes only heighten the happiness that he and his parishioners feel to be back home.
“It feels very nice. It’s good to have our own spot again. We don’t have to move stuff around any more, and all those kinds of things that happen when you have to rent something. That’s always a blessing.”
Things will proceed normally on Sunday with Sunday School at 10 a.m. followed by regular church service with some special touches at 11 a.m. and a potluck meal after, Wicks said.
That evening, a gospel concert featuring many local performers such as the Morinville Minstrels will start at 6 p.m.
The chorus of hallelujah will likely be sung loud by the gathering. Wicks thanked God for helping the church to rise up again from this period of struggle.
“We had a lot of challenges but we’re thankful that He’s been faithful and that’s the main thing.”
