A Constructive Way to Help Churches

By Jennifer Taylor

Kent Hawkins, senior minister with Cornerstone Christian Church, is driving to the site of the congregation”s new building in Vero Beach, Florida. It”s almost dinnertime, and church members are preparing and serving a meal to the volunteers working on the framing of CCC”s new building. In just a little over two weeks, these electricians, contractors, and carpenters””all of them members of Jack Ballard Church Builders“”will donate thousands of hours to build this new facility””and save the church around $100,000.

Jack Ballard Church Builders was founded in 1971 after members at Mount Carmel Christian Church (Stone Mountain, Georgia) built a series of temporary buildings to house their adult Sunday school classes.

“We were sobered by the realization that other congregations had needs like ours, but lacked the manpower and know-how,” the organization writes. “Wouldn”t it be great fun and fellowship . . . to assist other churches?”

Today JBCB has helped build almost 100 church buildings. Individuals and church mission budgets support the nonprofit”s operating costs. Churches apply to be a Jack Ballard project and pay nothing except one meal a day for volunteers and all the building materials.

“We laid the foundation and the Jack Ballard team did the walls, trusses, interior framing, electrical wiring, ceilings, and more,” Hawkins says. “So they take it from a shell to an almost-completed building. We”ll just need to do some finishing work like sanding, painting, and laying tile.”

Hawkins estimates Cornerstone will save $80,000 to $150,000 in labor costs because of JBCB”s help.

“Imagine not having to borrow that money or pay interest on it,” he says. “This ministry is such a blessing.”

Cornerstone will hold the grand opening for the new building in January.

www.jbcb.org

http://cornerstonechristianvb.com/

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Jennifer Taylor, one of Christian Standard”s contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Read her blog at www. christianstandard.com.

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