We will be posting information and photos so you can see the progress on our building renovation. Keep checking back! In the meantime we will be temporarily meeting at 1519 West 4th Str in Waterloo. See map of temporary meeting place.

The earliest pictures are at the bottom and the newest are at the top of t his page!

WEEK 13 ( Ending Jan 14)

PROGRESS! We are now starting to see the different areas start to take shape. The plumbing is all done, footings are in and the basement floor has been repoured, Sheet rock is going up in many areas and just this morning the main beams in the welcome center/foyer area were installed and much of the temporary walls in that area have been removed, just in time for your Tour on Sunday afternoon!. The stage has also been insulated and boarded up. MUCH wiring has been installed but there is still more to do.

Here are pictures from this week's activities.

Above arre Dick Jensen and an electrician inspecting some of the lighting needs in the sanctuary.

Below is one of the nursery rooms all sheet rocked. They are starting to tape it now.

The elecator shaft is in, the vestibule area has been bricked and they did a very good job matching the new brick to the old one. We won't see the elevator until February.

This is the expanded hall way looking from the foyer/welcome center area down the hall where the women's bathroom on the main floor used to be. This will now be a coat room along with the entrance to men and womens bathrooms.

This is the air shute in the sanctuary. Just to the left of
it you will see the door going into the North Rooom.

Here is the Beam that has been one of the biggest head scratchers in the project. They finished it Friday morning. The wall you see in front of it is a temporary wall (along with several others!) and was removed on Friday afternoon.

The workers are doing a bit of cleanup on Friday
afternoon so our TOUR will be a little less intimidating.

Above is our first glimpse of the north wall of the sanctuary all sheet rocked. Notice the can lighing under the soffet.

Standing in the same place as above you are looking across the sanctuary to the south wall. The windows above have not been sheet rocked yet. Pews will be put back in that open area before it is finished.

Our last shot is the North room ready to be sheet rocked.

The men around the church have been very busy this week. Not among the pictures this week are the 2 new air conditioners for the nurserys and Foyer area being installed, underlayment for the nurserys and bathrooms on the main floor have been laid. Electrical work should be completed also in those areas because next week we think they will begin sheet rocking those areas. Lights and carpet for the sanctuary have been ordered and the beam in the foyer is almost ready to be replaced.

NOONE has given us any suggestions for updating the area in front of the Baptismal yet. Come on people, we need your input. Now for the pictures.

This first picture shows the doorway into the basement men's bathroom being walled up! Guys, this could be a problem!

This is taken from the small fellowship hall looking
towards Williston. These are the new bathrooms.

What's Behind curtain number one? They are
laying the brick that will match our current
building. the Lord has given us great weather
and everyone is greatly appreciative to get all
this outside work done without having to
deal with the snow. BUT... This too shall end.

This is standing next to Jim's class, looking down at the
back doors. The area beyond the back doors is what
is behind curtain number one! Our new rear entrance and elevator.

If you were to go to the church and enter the foyer area
right now you would be hard pressed to understand what
all this lumber is for! In preperation for taking out the old
wall between the sanctuary and foyer area these are
bracing walls, one on each side of the original wall.
This is taking place in the basement as well.

You are looking at a new door that will access
the sanctuary. As you can see, it will be at the
top of the stairs coming up from the basement
or down from the 2nd floor. 2 more pews will
be reinstalled in this area before it is all finished

This is some modern art in the north room.... Actually
they are getting ready to put those strips up in preperation for
sheet rock in the north room. This should greatly cut down on the
noise the staff is experiencing at this point in the project.

Right Connie? (She probably can't hear us
because of her ear plugs!...or not)

Look Mom, No windows on the second floor!

This is a shot of the new edging around the church.
The next step is to put the eves troughs back on.

Week Seven

There hasn't SEEMED to be much action around the church for the last several weeks but there has been a lot of planning and DETAIL stuff going on. This week we finally saw some evidence of this. Other than the main beam in the foyer we are now in the RECONSTRUCTION mode rather than the DECONSTRUCITON mode. I didn't get a picture of it but our men took the eves off the building on the second story last week and this week workers came in and sided the 2nd story, covering up the windows. Take a look the next time you are going by. It looks VERY NICE! thanks to Jim Grady, Dave Schake, Russ Davis and Gaylen Broka for doing this!

Look! A vestibule! They got the roof on and coverd and the floors poured. We should see the outer brick start going up soon.

On Wednesday of this week (Dec 7th) the men started working on the stage. It's finally taking shape.

This is a picture of the front of the church with the curtain in place. As announced on Sunday, they are looking for suggestions as to how we might update the front of the church. It has been around 20 years! The curtain is showing it's age. Any suggestions?

We never know where Jon is going to turn up and this was no excemption. His words to us were "Help, I'm Stuck!" He might still be there. We didn't help him!

This is the basement bathroom area with the floor refilled and the plumbing done. After the wiring it will be ready for sheetrock.

Remember what a mess this was? They poured the drive and the area around the Elevator area. Looks like they are going to beat the snow.

This WILL be the hall way coming from the Elevator door. to the right is Jim's class.

This might not look like much but we are happy to see it. This is the roof area over the elevator and it is all sealed up so no more rain will bother us. I am looking thru a screen.

Finally, this is looking from the welcome Center (what used to be the Welcome Center) and towards Williston. The electricians are working on the wiring.

Week Four!

Our church has been under construction for a month now! Most of the demolition has taken place with the exception of the back wall of the sanctuary. We are waiting for the main beam to arrive for that. There is still some plumbing work taking place in the men and womens bathroom in the basement. At this point there is alot of head scratching as to how areas will be put back together!

In the next several weeks we will see many of the areas being put back together. Walking through it right now you would wonder if they can do it but we are assured they can! Here are some pictures taken this week.

Pastor Rob has been on vacation with his family in Florida(!) the past two weeks so our only 2 on site full time employees have been VERY LONELY and have had to put up with alot of noise. Last week we found Jon in the basement, this week he has moved to Pastor Rob's office to have some quiet planning time.

Around behind the building we are seeing the elevator and vestibule area start to take shape above ground.

Dick has been spending a lot of time at the church thinking through the electrical and lighting needs. Sometimes you just have to stand there and shake your head in wonderment, Huh Dick!

This is your first glimpse of the new back wall of the sanctuary. You will be amazed when you see the new foyer area.

Look Mom, no seats! All the pew seats have been removed for recovering.

How will the contractors put the front back together? That'is just one of the questions the decorating committee is asking. Carol is getting a closer look.

Weeks Two and Three

A lot of progress has been made in the last 10 days! From the outside you can see that the elevator shaft and the vestibule area are taking shape. Everything is now poured to ground level. Next week we should start to see some block being laid.

From the outside it was very noisy so we found Pastor Jon retreating to the basement to do some practicing. What is he saying? "Do you hear me now?"

Doesn't this look different? Look Mom, no stage! and no carpet and no wall covering and no windows above or below! Is there still time to change our minds?

Down in the kitchen area there was a lot of noise and then a lot of dirt as concrete was broken out so that additional footings could be installed in preperation for the main floor supports. Their goal is to have the kitchen usable for the Thanksgiving Dinner. What do you think?

There has to be one more of those holes dug back where that fan is currently standing.

Does this look like the women's bathroom in the basement? The doorway picture is a look into the men's basement restroom.

Below are more pictures of the basement small fellowship hall and men's bathroom.... and the women's bathroom and even the Sunday School Class room way back there!

This is a shot of what used to be the coat closet on the main floor.

Finally, here is the elevator again with the hole at the back door filled back in. Now we wait for the elevator to come. We don't expect it until February. By then the whole area will be enclosed.

WEEK ONE

Last Sunday, Oct 16th a LARGE group of the congregation met to "Clear out" the church. What we thought would take all afternoon only took 1.5 hours because so many turned out. It was awsome to see everyone working together.

On Monday the Asbestos people took over the church. By the end of the week the majority of walls in the foyer area, bathrooms, nursery and welcome center were cleared of any dry wall.

The side windows on the south side of the sanctuary were removed and they are already starting to fill that area in preperation for sheet rock. The Windows at the top on both sides of the sanctuary have been removed and they are also being made ready to be covered with drywall.

This is looking from within the Sanctuary through the foyer and into the nursery.

this is looking from the Welcome Center area through the nursery

This is what is left of the right side planter. The other side is already out.

Those two by fours are nailed to the floor and show where new walls will
be going up in the near future. You are standing in the old Welcome Center
and looking towards the Williston/Minnesota Corner.

This is taken from Jim Earnest's class room

We've had perfect weather to get the footings and foundations in for the
elevator and vestabule

They will start working in the kitchen on Monday the 24th, breaking up the floor to put footings under the wall to support the load on the first and second floor.

Many other things are taking place in the back ground. Wall and floor coverings, Light and plumbing fixtures and other things are being picked out. SOMEHOW this is all going to come together a few months from now. Until then, Keep checking back. We will try to give you weekly updates.