http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/40433-05-01-04.html
Church built in old-fashioned, barn-raising way
Haley Wachdorf News-Bulletin Staff Writer; hwachdorf@news-bulletin.com
Belen A week ago, the property at 1114 S. Main Street was an empty lot, but within a week, the Belen congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses plans to be holding services in their brand-new Kingdom Hall built by hundreds of volunteers from all over the state.
The volunteers converged on the property early in the week, many arriving in their personal recreational vehicles, prepared to eat, sleep and work on the property until the work is done. A large tent for a crew of food servers was set up adjacent to a traveling kitchen trailer, and from it, three hot meals each day are served to the volunteers.
Jim Black of the Belen congregation said the sudden activity on the property has caused a lot of curiosity in the community, and some people have stopped by to ask questions.
"One guy said 'Oh, I was hoping you were building a fast food restaurant," Black said, laughing. "I said, 'No, this is a church.'"
Black said the new church is a milestone for the group, which outgrew its 18-year home on Sixth Street and began the process of buying and preparing the new property in the last two years. Jehovah's Witness congregations raise the money for construction materials from donations within the group, but most of the work of construction is done by volunteers from within the Jehovah's Witness community.
"Most of them are craftsmen who do this work for a living," he said. "But there are also a lot of volunteers who come, and they get some training. ... These people take off from their regular work and ministry for the short period of time to come and do this."
Since Kingdom Halls are usually built according to one of a few similar plans, the volunteers make short work of each phase of the building, dividing into teams to accomplish tasks ranging from safety to framing walls and placing roof trusses quickly.
Black said that although it's a lot of work, it's also an energizing experience to work with so many people from around New Mexico, Colorado and Texas.
"It's a family atmosphere," he said. "They enjoy coming and working because it's part of their worship, part of their sacred service. They know they're pleasing God, and they also have a lot of fun seeing everyone again."
On Thursday, the Belen build was progressing smoothly. Some difficulty was caused by high winds, but Eddie Martinez, chairman of the local building committee, said the congregation could not have asked for more help from city leaders and people in Belen.
"We have just been overwhelmed with how they have bent over backwards to help us," he said.
Black said he believes the church will be a good addition to the South Main Street area, and said he thinks the sight of so many people working together is a good message for the community.
"I just never get tired of seeing this," he said. "And we get some feedback indicating that people see it, too. Someone was doing a call on a business person here in the community yesterday and they just wrote out a check and said here, contribute this towards your project. ... I keep telling people, just keep your eye on this spot, because, in five days, you're going to see a really big difference."
Only in the "new world society"......
Our Kingdom Hall had a sound proof back room made with acoustic suppression