In the years since then, there have been many
other improvements to the church which were accomplished by the
generosity of the members of the church along with many of our friends,
including many of our sister churches. In 1987, we were blessed
to be able to purchase the property to the left of the church from
the estate of Dennis Myers. The Myers family was a member of the
Sandy Mount Methodist Church but they were always a good neighbor
and friend to their neighborhood church. This purchase enabled us
to insure the physical future of the church by providing a few things
that most churches would see as a necessity. It immediately gave
us access to water and sewer, as well as land that would eventually
be needed for parking. The first thing we did was replace the gas-fired
outhouse (yes, that’s what I said) with an addition on the
back of the church that provided 2 restrooms as well as an entry
way into the basement along with a much needed storage closet. Again,
most of the foundation and footer work was dug by hand by the members.
A local carpenter named Herman Miller did the actual construction.
We now had actual restrooms and running water into the kitchen area
of the basement. This addition was dedicated in 1988.
Shortly after that, the Carroll County road department
decided to make improvements to Mayberry road. While much needed,
the new road would have curb and gutter that allowed no room for
parking along the side of the road where many of our church family
parked for services. In 1991 a local contractor was engaged to build
us a parking lot using the land that we acquired from the Myers
family. A joyous ribbon cutting ceremony was held when both the
original stone surface, and then the blacktop 2 years later, was
dedicated to the sound of honking horns as cars went down the driveway
into the new parking lot. A handicap accessible ramp was added to
the church in 1998.
As the decade drew near to a close, another major
project was undertaken to better provide for the congregation. It
was always the thought that some day, we could build above the restroom
addition and have a room that would be accessed off of the rear
of the sanctuary. With the assistance of several of our members
who had construction experience, along with plenty of others who
were willing to follow instructions, and of course with God’s
help, we took a giant leap of faith. Early one Saturday morning
in the spring of 1999, we removed the roof of the existing restroom
addition. We then proceeded to put on the deck that would be the
floor of the new room and then put up the walls, getting the new
room under roof as darkness fell that night. What a wonderful feeling
of accomplishment. Of course, there were many additional hours needed
to get the addition finished, but as a result, we now have a room
that serves multiple uses including prayer gatherings, Sunday school
class, office space, counseling sessions and of course, much needed
storage.
As noted in the beginning of this writing, our church
dates back a long way, and the pew configuration, as well as the
comfort they provide speaks to a much simpler time. Through much
prayer and discussion we decided that it simply was not practical
to replace the current pews. So in 2002, we engaged the services
of a company out of Ohio to pad the pews. Six of the church members
took a “field trip” to Alexandria, VA to see this company
on an actual job. We were very impressed with their work and have
been very pleased with the job that they did. An open house was
held to show the community the changes that have been made to their
little community church.
None
of know what the future will bring, but by looking back over the
history of the church, we can see that God has always had a plan
for Mayberry and we are proud to have played a part in the ministry
that this church continues to provide to this day and we trust will
provide in the years to come.
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