JAY ROACH CONSTRUCTION has been hired to build the new Woodland United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall.
Work is currently underway to rebuild the fellowship hall of a local church, according to the church’s pastor.
The Rev. Charles (Buddy) Whatley, pastor of Woodland United Methodist Church, said he was happy to report that the congregation has decided to proceed with rebuilding its fellowship hall, which was tragically lost in a fire on Sept. 17, 2019.
The church recently was issued a permit for the construction project, valued at $96,000 and, according to the Rev. Whatley, the work is being done by Jay Roach Construction.
“We are going to rebuild the fellowship hall and use it for worship and suppers while we take our time to repair the sanctuary,” the church pastor said.
The church caught fire the night of Sept. 17, and the fellowship hall of the church was a total loss. The main sanctuary suffered damage to the attic beams and will likely need a new roof, church officials have said. An electric short was determined to be the cause of the fire.
“The fellowship hall will be pretty much like the old one, but we did have to move the bathrooms across the building putting them beside the kitchen to avoid having to install a new septic system. Instead of block, the exterior will be hardiboard and the interior will be painted sheetrock instead of paneling,” the Rev. Whatley said.
The church buildings will also be brought up to code as part of the overall project.
Since the fire, the congregation has been meeting at Bold Springs UMC, where Whatley also serves as pastor.
