JAY — Beans Corner Baptist Church invites the public to come celebrate their new sanctuary with a special dedication service planned for 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14.

With numerous volunteer hours provided by church members and the Mobile Baptist Builders, the new sanctuary was constructed over the summer.

Several groups of volunteers, some as large as 120 people, came from across the country to help build the sanctuary. 

Many hands made light work despite temperatures in the mid-90s as the Mobile Baptist Builders worked in June to put up roof trusses on the new sanctuary.

“There are about eight contractors and a couple master electricians among the 120-plus volunteers including the oldest, who is 86, and several children,” Burben Sullins, coordinator of the Mobile builders said in June.  “The rest are ‘go-fers’ learning and doing whatever they can to help.”  

Each volunteer pays for their own transportation and leaves their regular job for a week to come help build a church. 

Some of these volunteers will return for the dedication on Saturday. 

Bean’s Corner Baptist Church, near the intersection of Routes 133 and 156, has seen steady growth over the past 10 years. 

When the church exceeded its capacity of 150, it went to two Sunday services last fall, at 8 and 10:30 a.m.   

While many churches struggle to maintain membership or have an aging congregation, Bean’s Corner averages about 180 to over 200 a week, up from 85-115 attending in 2006.

The congregation prayed and donated to a building project for about 15 years to cover the costs which would have been double without the labor of the Mobile Baptist Builders, church and community volunteers.

Bean’s Corner Baptist Church in Jay

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