Delta Community Baptist: dedication and teamwork despite construction woes

Published 11:55 pm Friday, July 4, 2008

EVERETT — An unfinished 6,700 square-foot steel building waits behind their church.

It’s a symbol of their faith philosophy: “Wait upon the Lord.”

Delta Community Baptist is a small church with big dreams, few pennies, the patience of Job and Red Sea-sized challenges.

“The church really has a heart to get the new building done, and a heart for the kids in the area,” said Jay Noll, the pastor who came to Delta from Edmeston, N.Y., two years ago with his wife, Sarah, and two children, Thomas, 10, and Christine, 12.

In 2003, the 50-member church in the Delta neighborhood of north Everett stepped out on faith to break ground on a building they estimated then would cost around $480,000. The building is on the corner of 16th Street and Pine Street.

For five years, as money has trickled in, they’ve completed part of the two-story building.

For the past year, they’ve struggled to pay their new pastor.

“With challenges come growth,” said Don Ringman, a general contractor who has attended Delta for more than 25 years and who volunteers his time as the church’s building project coordinator. “The church is resilient; it will rebound. The doors won’t close. I see a future, some really great things in the works.”

They say their faith, which has sustained them since 1942, will continue to help them overcome the financial bind.

“We knew how much the building would cost, but as far as raising the money, we were operating on faith,” said Ringman. “We were able to raise the initial $200,000 to get the ground work done and the shell up. Then we spent the next few years doing the inside framing. Whenever there’s money we do a little more.”

The multipurpose room, a kitchen, offices, storage rooms and four bathrooms are all framed up inside, waiting. The church needs an estimated $300,000 to install sprinklers, an alarm system and wallboard.

“The last time we ran the numbers, it would cost $280,000 more to complete the work to acquire the occupancy permits,” said Ringman. “That was about a year ago, and prices have gone up.”

When their building is finished, church members hope it will be a community hub where they can share entertainment, food and worship with their neighbors.

“They do have some challenges, and the people aren’t wealthy,” said Noll. “We believe that God is providing for us, and will provide for us, but sometimes in the heat of it, it can get pretty stressful.”

Despite the challenges, the congregation keeps believing.

“The church is working together. A number of people have increased their giving and we’ve cut back in other areas,” said Noll.

Delta also has some support from the community and other churches. When commercial code changes went into effect in 2004, a $50,000 loan from the American Baptist Churches, USA allowed Delta to finish the first stages of their building in time to avoid costly plan revisions. That loan is nearly paid off.

Through a church member who works for Everett’s Buse Timber Co., the church was able to acquire the original framing timber at cost.

To help meet their expenses, the congregation plans to continue to use their new building as a warehouse, which allows them to hold fundraising efforts such as the upcoming yard sale. They’ll continue to provide coffee at rest stops, too, said Ringman.

“We’ve taken some measures,” said Ringman. “We’ve had some classes on giving and tithing, which seems to have changed people’s thinking. Some churches are tough in this area. We’re graceful.”

Ringman said the church has turned around.

“We’re meeting our budget now; four months ago we weren’t. It’s not impossible, but it’s going to take a while.”

So they continue to wait for the Lord to lead them to their next step.

Reporter Leita Hermanson Crossfield: 425-339-3449 or lcrossfield@heraldnet.com.