Lynn Valley Baptist Church member Wilma Elliot’s 1951 Sunday school booklet was returned to her after being buried in the wall of the church for 65 years. This wasn’t the only discovery made during the recent deconstruction of the church.
“It’s not being torn down, it’s being taken down one board at a time, and it’s been a pretty big endeavor,” said project leader and church member John Allen.
An October fire under the choir loft sparked the need for much more than cosmetic repairs. After 75 years, the church is coming down one piece at a time.
Structural deficiencies became apparent as crews delved further into the project, according to Allen. Combined with what has been a steadily growing church population in need of a larger sanctuary, church members voted in favor of its disassembly.
“We were full, and that was a good thing,” said Allen. “The more we tore it down, the worse we saw it was. It was sort of sad; I thought we may be jumping the gun, but the further we got, the more issues we found.”
Among the issues encountered, he cited bad plumbing, poor wiring, a leaky roof with some rot and a weak foundation. Under the choir loft on the northeast end near where the fire sparked, they discovered a spring welling up out of the ground.
The congregation of more than 200 people immediately began to reorganize in the fellowship hall following the fire on Monday, Oct. 26. By Sunday, they had new chairs ordered and assembled with a new choir loft in place.
“Everybody’s working together,” said Allen.
A number of original pieces from the church are being saved, and some pieces are being given away.
“Everything that can be salvaged or restored is being salvaged,” said church member Shirley Nave.
Church members made donations to the building fund in exchange for the pews, and Pastor Dennis Wilson said a few may still be available. Wilson said one church member cut some pews in half, refinished them and will place them in the fellowship hall for seating with plaques displaying the names of the people that purchased them originally.
People are welcome to take bricks home as mementos of the old church, said Allen.
Allen said the milk glass window over the original door was given to Wilson. Stained glass windows, which bear the names of some original church members, are being stored in the fellowship hall for use in the future.
“This is keeping the heritage of those families, and their families appreciate it,” Wilson said.

Perhaps most notable to onlookers is the “Lynn Valley Baptist Church” sign posted up out front of the fellowship hall. Above it hangs the original bell from the tower above the door in the older part of the church.
The south side of the church was built in 1940, followed by the construction of the sanctuary in 1960, said Allen. At that time, the original church was converted into eight classrooms.
Without the use of those classrooms for the last three months, Wilson said they have sacrificed some significant space and had to double up in Sunday school classes.
Construction has been underway for about a month, and Allen estimated it will be complete next week. County trustees have done the brunt of the work, and Allen said without their tremendous efforts, they couldn’t have done it.

Wilson said Allen is working hard for free.
“John and his men worked feverishly, and he is not charging,” said Wilson. “We pay his men salary, but he’s doing this because he wants to see the new church.”
To help compensate Allen, Wilson said he will get some of the lumber including the trestles. Allen, owner of the Bee Cliff Cabins, is moving the trestles to his property and said he hopes to build a pavilion or wedding chapel with them.
Doors from the church were moved into the fellowship hall, as well as a table that survived the fire which was made from barn wood by Allen’s friend Ed Wright.
The fire sparked as a result of an aged furnace and aged equipment around it. The fan could no longer cool it off which caught the bottom braces on fire, according to Wilson.
“It would have been going backwards if we would have tried to fix that building,” Wilson said.
Allen said this time next week it will be a gravel lot.
But according to Wilson, this is just the beginning. He and other staff at the church are working with construction companies to draw up plans for a 400-seat auditorium. He hopes construction will begin in the Fall on this project.
“It’s bittersweet for most of our church, because they know we had to do that, but they know we’re going to have a new building,” Wilson said, adding, “The church is the people not the building.”