More than 200 members of the Eufaula First Baptist Church joined hands in prayer Sunday as they thanked God for the new, 8,000 square foot extension to the old building that has served their spiritual needs for more than 60 years.

Pastor J. Ingram led the prayer: “Bow our heads together and thank God for this good day … Gracious father we dedicate this building to you, every brick, every door, every cup, every spoon, every knife belongs to you. We are so privileged that you have blessed us.

“Thank you for the people who have sacrificed to make this possible … None of this would have happened without you.”

The expansion, about a year under construction, will provide space for new classrooms, special activities and a kitchen and dining area.

The building’s first meal, a fish fry, was served following the prayer.

This was the first of many meals that will be served in the future in the spacious dining room and kitchen.

“Our new Church expansion has been a dream of First Baptist Church since the 1960’s,” Ingram said. “It is a multipurpose building that includes a kitchen, new classrooms, a family room for special activities such as the Discovery Class, a large youth room for youth Bible studies, worship and activities.

“The new addition will give us much needed classrooms and activity space to offer effective ministries to our Church and community,” Ingram said.

Thereisa3,000-squarefoot breezeway between the extension and the church, providing shelter for those who go from one building to the other.

“So, if you want to drop somebody off when it’s raining, they won’t get wet,” he said.

A new ramp has been installed so people can walk from the sanctuary to the new building, which cost about $830,000. About $660,000 has already been raised.

“It is our hope that this building will help us serve the Lord and our community for years to come,” Ingram said.

He noted that many who dreamed about and contributed to the new facility are no longer with us, but there will be eternal gratitude for their contributions.

“We remember them today,” Ingram said.

Many who have not yet been born will benefit from those early dreams.

The older building is three stories, including a basement and two floors above that, not an easy climb for the older folks. The expansion is one story, making it easier on those not as spry as they used to be.

“Youths can go up and down stairs all day long, but people our age aren’t as able. When we built (this church) in the ‘60s, that’s just the way they built them. But we’ve got to get away from that. We need to serve everybody in the community, not just the able bodied. This will solve that problem.”

This is the third phase of the church’s building program.

The first two phases were a remodeling of the youth parsonage and a new parsonage for Ingram.

Thus far the building projects have been debt free.

“We haven’t had to borrow any money, and I don’t think we will have to take on any debt for this one. If so, it won’t be very much,” Ingram said. The church started getting serious about the expansion about four years ago, putting in the dirt where the foundation would be. But the COVID hit and there were supply chain issues, which delayed everything.