Local News - April 2003

Ministry dedicates new expansion

By JEREMY ASHTON, LTN Staff Writer

The three rooms in the back of the building are filled already with Christmas presents for children.

The offices are fully furnished, ready for the staff to move in. A symbol appears on the freshly painted wall in the main lobby — six people interlocking hands around the words “Christian Ministry.”

Christian Ministry of Lincoln County dedicated its new expansion, 207 S. Poplar St., Sunday afternoon. The brief ceremony was followed by an open house, giving people from the organization’s 90 member churches the chance to look around.

“This has been the dream of many people for a long time now, and as you can see, we now have ample room for our services,” said Susan Brymer, executive director of Christian Ministry.

According to Brymer, the expansion has three times the space of Christian Ministry’s old building, located across Poplar Street.

The new building will provide administrative office space and a home for four of the organization’s five ministries: Emergency Services, the Nursing Home Ministry, the Christmas Fund and Linc Home Meals. The soup kitchen and food pantry will continue to be housed in the old location, 230 E. Water St. The expansion also frees up extra space for future use in both buildings.

With the struggling economy intensifying the need for Christian Ministry’s services, the expansion is a welcome addition for all involved.

“It gives people room to breathe and work with clients,” said Scott Mullen, president of Christian Ministry’s Board of Directors.

The expansion is actually the former Lincoln Bank Building, previously owned by First Charter Bank.

Christian Ministry was able to purchase the $300,000 building from the bank with grant money and donations from The Timken Company, The Canon Foundation, Carpenter and Company, the Duke Endowment, Sue Dellinger’s family and several area churches.

In turn, First Charter took the money and set up the Lincoln County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Foundation for the Carolinas. The interest on the money is now paying Christian Ministry’s operating costs for the building.

“We couldn’t have afforded to operate this building if we got it for free … ,” Brymer said. “(First Charter’s) plan was just far greater than ours.”

Once the building was secured, Christian Ministry continued to receive plenty of help from the community. Carpet and other building materials were donated by area businesses, and the renovation work was done completely by volunteers.

“Lincoln County is a very giving community, and I think this is just one of the indications of that,” Mullen said.

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Staff Writer Jeremy Ashton can be reached at 704-735-3031 or jashton@ltnews.com.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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