READY FOR A MAKEOVER
First Baptist Texarkana undergoes major renovation
One Sunday this past February, members of First Baptist Texarkana reached in their pockets and produced more than a million dollars to renovate the Worship Center.
Associate Pastor Larry Sims said in those moments, the congregation took the next step in bringing a new look to the church’s ministry.
“In that one day, we had asked for one-year pledges and cash gifts,” he said. “One point three million dollars was our goal and we wound up getting $1.5. We got over $1 million in cash that day and the rest in pledges.”
Those monies, which will not affect the church’s missions, will be used to transform the center into a modern space with cushioned theater seating, balcony hand rails and new lighting and sound systems, along with new carpet and paint in neutral tones. The pipe organ will remain, along with the stained glass windows named the “Living Bible,” which feature scenes from both the Old and New Testaments.
Sims said throughout planning the eight weeks of renovations, they used a particular phrase.
“Our goal is not to make the Worship Center opulent, but to make it excellent and honoring TO The KING,” is included in the information packet the church provides, which outlines the details of the renovation.
In it, Pastor Jeff Schreve wrote a letter to the congregation stating, “We desire to honor the King and give a gift worthy of the King, so that the place we gather as a church to worship the King would properly reflect our deep love and gratitude for all He has done for us.”
The letter also references the temple Solomon built for the Lord in 959 BC that needed repair, and that the priests made a chest to collect the offerings and set it outside the temple. “The people of Judah rejoiced as they gave generously and sacrificially to beautify and refresh the house of the Lord,” the pastor wrote.
Sims said some of the older members, including himself, didn’t immediately see the need for the renovations in the beginning, as they were so used to seeing the space since the center was constructed 32 years ago.
“But when you start looking at it, you’d see the wear and tear. Just like if you never did anything in your home for 30 years, you get used to it,” he said.
The information packet also includes photos of the damaged pews, which were impossible to repair. Sims said they had one refinished to see how it would look, and that the results were less than stellar. With the new seating, that won’t be an issue.
“It’s a new, fresh environment. One of the things with the pews when they got damaged, the whole pew was damaged,” Sims said. “With theater seating, if one gets damaged, you replace it. It was just wear and tear for 30 years and it’s not worthy of the King.”
Sims gave much credit to Olin Owens, FBC’s facilities manager, who organized the project down to the hour, including the removal of the pews with a crane brought in from Little Rock, Ark. Sims said they announced in April that they would give pews away to anyone who wanted them, and several churches and individuals retrieved them from the parking lot after they were removed from
the Worship Center in a two-day span.
“It was so funny because we had some people say ‘I saw some of our pews going down I-30,’ and ‘I saw some of our pews going down Summerhill.’ Mr. Owen lined up all the contractors to fit everything in an eight-week schedule and so we got workmen from construction companies to help with the pews,” Sims said.
The painting will be done by Gary Williams and the seats will be installed by the manufacturer, Sauder Seating. Everett Schrum will install the carpet, which was purchased from Red River Lumber.
The color scheme was created by an interior designer in California who contracts through the Lifeway Corporation and Ford Audio and Video of Oklahoma City, Okla. will provide the sound and lighting systems. Owens added that the television broadcasts will also be upgraded to high definition.
He said that while they had worked to keep up with the latest technology, the Worship Center definitely deserved an upgrade.
“I think it was needed and the pictures show it. It had a rundown appearance. It doesn’t mean you couldn’t worship there, but it had to happen,” he said. “We need to stay abreast of where we are and continue to move forward and to not let this thing deteriorate further. I believe that people will come not to look at it, but I think the worship experience will be enhanced by having this done. I think it makes people have pride in what they see here and what they do as it relates to the Bible. We are to give our very best.”
Sims said the past few weeks have been busy at FBC, especially in moving services to the gym, and that it’s been an exciting time.
“Just like adjusting to the different services and things, it creates an excitement and of course for years we met in the gym before the worship center was ever built,” he said.
“It was really kind of funny, deja vu, we’re back in the gym with auditorium under construction, which is the way it was for two and a half years.”
He added that they haven’t baptized anyone since the move, and that they will hold a service July 9 on the softball field and use a portable tank to hold the water.