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The congregation at First Baptist Church of Andalusia on Sunday celebrated the completion of a construction project that includes a new multipurpose facility.

The new multi-purpose facility will be used for a variety of church and community activities. It includes a modern kitchen area for dinners and luncheons and basketball goals for youth sports.

Pastor Kevin Wilburn credited his church’s Vision Team, which has worked diligently on the planning and implementation of the construction projects. The project got underway about five to six years ago with the vision of creating a facility that would be useful to both the church and community.

“I want to thank our Vision Team for all the hours of work they put into this. There have been a lot of discussions and prayers (about the project). Their faithfulness to manage what God has trusted them with — their time and their talents — has made this possible. I just want to thank them for all the hard work,” Wilburn said.

A plaque was unveiled during the ceremony with the names of all those who served on the Vision Team. The plaque will be placed near the entry to the new multipurpose facility.

Witherington Construction performed the work at First Baptist and said he was grateful for the opportunity.

“We’ve worked a lot of places and I can truly say that I don’t think we’ve ever worked in a place as positive and special as Andalusia. We thank you for letting us be part of the process,” Witherington said.

Also on hand for the ceremony was Andalusia Mayor Earl Johnson.

“This is God’s house. It’s a place that will nurture thousands of people for years and years to come. It’s great for Andalusia. We’re so happy to have it here. Thanks to Pastor Wilburn, because it would not have happened without him,” Johnson said.

Among the guests at the event was Dr. Rick Lance who serves as executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

“This is a praise-the-Lord moment,” Lance said. “I congratulate you and pray God’s blessings on you and the work to be done here.”

In addition to the multipurpose facility, the project also involved other renovations including a new children’s area, new playground equipment, additional parking, renovated welcoming area and more.

Prior to the implementation of the project, the church had already completed renovations to its sanctuary with new pews and carpet.

“The Bible says in Psalms 127, ‘unless the Lord builds the house, the builder’s labor is in vain.’ Unless the Lord builds the church, we’re just wasting our time. This is a tool for us to use to better serve Him,” Wilburn said.

Members of the First Baptist Church’s Vision Team include: Larry Avery, Jeanne Bozeman, Chase Cotton, Jeff Johnson, Lenora Johnson, Michael Jones, Stacie McCalman, Jeremy McMath, Barbara Posey, Glynn Ralls, Dodd Riley, Lex Short, Teresa Ward, William Worley, and Kevin Wilburn.

Architect for the project was Angela Odom of Odom Architects in Mobile.