New church taking shape

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
  HOULTON, Maine — If things continue on their current schedule, parishioners of the Military Street Baptist Church could be celebrating Easter Sunday in their new house of worship at the top of Drake’s Hill.
Randall Burns, pastor of the Military Street Baptist Church, said construction was on schedule for the large church/multi-purpose facility. The church broke ground on its new facility in October 2011 and has steadily continued to the point where the exterior is now complete.     The group had been looking at building a new sanctuary for about eight years, after they discovered a multitude of renovations were needed to their building on the corner of Military and Kelleran streets. Burns said aside from the obvious lack of handicapped accessibility, there are a number of structural and cosmetic issues with the existing building. The stained glass needs upgrading, as do the floors, roof and electrical wiring. The estimated cost of those renovations was over $1 million.
The project is known as the “City on a Hill,” because the original Military Street Baptist Church was located on the hill near the former Ricker Classical Institute before Houlton’s “Great Fire” in the late 1800s.
The late Dallas Henderson and the late Dr. Phil Dwyer were two church members who came up with the vision of a “City on a Hill” movement. Their children, Sam Henderson and Jim Dwyer, are carrying on their families’ roles with the project. The “City on a Hill” team is comprised of Brian Gardiner, Sam Henderson and Bill Goetsch, along with Burns.
The group explored a number of different sites to build a new church. When the group reached the parcel of land on Drake’s Hill, they knew they had found their new home. The group purchased the 46-acre parcel and began a growth fund to start raising money to build the new church. They have raised about $1.5 million, but must come up with an additional $880,000 in new pledges, Burns said.
The current building has since been sold, Burns said, but the purchaser wished to remain anonymous. That person has also allowed the church to remain until their new place of worship opens. No decision has been made to change the name of the parish since it technically is still located on Military Street.
Currently in “Phase I,” the new sanctuary includes a large congregation area, offices, kitchen and classrooms. The church can also be set up as a convention center, capable of housing 600 individuals. A coffee house area is also in the works.
“Houlton really needed a convention space, so that is why we included it in our plans to be multipurpose,” Burns said. “Everything is set up to be multipurpose.”
Radiant heat is found throughout the new facility courtesy of a pellet burner with a traditional oil furnace serving as a backup. The worship area can be set up for banquets and will also serve as a sports area, capable to be used as basketball or volleyball courts.
The church plans to continue its popular nursery school services.
Much of the work being done is with “sweat equity,” Burns said, as a number of churchgoers have offered their expertise.
“We have a number of carpenters and laborers who have graciously offered their services to make this dream become a reality,” Burns said.
“Phase II” would see additional space added to the right of the building for a nursery and K-6 classrooms for Sunday School, along with junior/senior high school classrooms and choir room behind the building. Adopt-a-Block is also working on a grant to purchase a storage unit at the new location.
There are a number of possibilities for further development on the site, Burns said. A large trout pond is located several yards behind the building. A log cabin could be built in that area for spiritual retreats, Burns said.
“We are still waiting on how God is going to lead us for what needs to happen up here next,” Burns said. “We stand in awe how God has moved this thing along. All we can do is see how He has made things happen.”
To donate to the church’s fund-raising effort, call the parsonage at 532-2783.