Shortly after we moved to Oklahoma last April, our church began working on updating and improving our facilities. They had voted on these renovations before we arrived, but had not yet begun the work. I thought I’d share a few photos of the new digs:

This our new ADA bathroom (Americans with Disabilities Act). It still needs some decorations, but it’s fully functional and very nice! I love the tile work.

The people decided to expand and update the ladies restroom.

The lavatory in the new ladies bathroom.

This is our new nursery. It has a cry room and then an area for babies. These rooms used to be full of printing equipment when the church printed materials on-site. Since the print master left some years ago, these rooms had not been used. What a blessing to see them serving a purpose! This view is as you’re walking into the church lobby. This is on your left, right before you get to the auditorium.

This is the cry room, looking toward the entry way. The room across the hall is our church library/mailing office (for The Watchmen paper and the tracts we sell).

This is the mural on the wall in the cry room. It is of Mt. Scott which is nearby on the Wildlife Refuge. A professional painter was hired to do this. I just love it!

This is the baby-side of the nursery. The door is a small bathroom. This also used to be printing offices.

This is the mural for the baby side of the nursery. I love the bright colors in this one!

This is the two way window for the cry room. You can see out, but not in. There are speakers in both nursery rooms that broadcast the sermon.

This is the old nursery, which is will soon be my husband’s new office! The carpet was removed and new flooring installed, and the walls have been textured and painted.

Terry shopped around for shelves for his office, but was taken aback by the cost – over $2,000! He just couldn’t stomach spending that much money for bookshelves, so he built his own. He’s not a carpenter per se, but then, he can do anything from appliance repair to plumbing to auto repair, so building shelves was no big deal. I really liked how they turned out!

This used to be a storage area right off the nursery, but it’s now going to be a file room and pass-through to the new conference room!

As soon as the new carpet is laid, this will be a conference room for the pastor’s use.

I’m thankful for many things regarding this renovation. First, I’m thankful that the people have a mind to update and keep the church building looking sharp. It’s important to represent Christ honorably, not just in appearance, but also in maintenance of what HE has given us. We are commanded to be good stewards of what God has given us, and our people are doing that. Second, I’m thankful for the Christian contractor that is heading up this work. He is treating us fairly and honestly and we trust him. Third, I’m so thankful that our church is not going into debt for these renovations. My husband does not believe churches should go into debt, and these people believe that, too. They have given sacrificially to pay for the work. Lastly, I’m thankful that the downstairs portion is almost complete! Soon we begin on the upstairs, and we are eagerly awaiting a new sign and for the parking lot to be sealed and re-striped.

Stay tuned to see the finished product in a few days! 🙂

It’s an exciting time at Bethel Baptist Church in Lawton, Oklahoma! For more information, please visit http://bbc-lawton.org or find us on Facebook!

Thanks for being here!