VALLEY CITY, N.D. In the early morning hours of Oct. 21, the Rev. Jolene Knudson-Hanse received a phone call: Her church was burning.

I just kind of went into response mode, like when you get a call from the hospital in the middle of the night, you just go and you dont really think about it, she said. It really didnt hit me until a few hours later when we were sitting down and trying to figure out our next step when we realized we wont have a building. Then it really hits you, all the work that lies ahead and the sadness of losing that place of worship, and thats a workplace for myself and our employees.

On Sunday, the Faith Lutheran Church Council voted during its annual meeting to build a new church on the ground where the old one burned in downtown Valley City. The building sustained $2.5 million in damage from the fire, which investigators later ruled was arson set to cover evidence in a burglary. Three other church burglaries in Valley City before the fire are still being investigated.

Faith Lutheran Church Council President Tory Hart said church officials will meet with architecture firms to plan how to move forward. Hart did not expect the new building to be open for a year or longer, and Knudson-Hanse said construction might not begin until fall or spring 2015.

After the fire, the congregation began holding services at an empty space in a Valley City office building owned by congregation member Greg Burchill, who offered a cut-rate rent that will be paid for a year by the churchs insurance company. Knudson-Hanse said it was a new experience having neighbors, and the church shares the building with CP Rail, Nielson Insurance Agency and the Barnes County Sheriffs Office.

One thing that the people liked was that the sheriffs office was right next door. After the fires and burglaries, it made people feel safe, Knudson-Hanse said.

The church has a congregation of roughly 800 members, but the temporary location offers seating for only 170 people during services. Hart said the size of the worship hall is adequate but the fellowship hall can get crowded.

The accommodations for our worship are good, but were used to a really large fellowship hall where we can gather, have coffee and meals together. Thats the big piece thats tight and were dealing with it the best we can, Hart said.

Fire and forgiveness

Hart said he watched the firefighters battle the blaze firsthand because he had left for work early that day, and he immediately knew it would be bad for the church.

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Valley City church to rebuild after arson

A Day in the Life of San Diego Fil-Am Construction: Michael E. Robinson
This is a video montage on the San Diego Fil-Am Church Construction Site - 1-24-14. More videos will keep you updated as progress is made!

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A Day in the Life of San Diego Fil-Am Construction: Michael E. Robinson - Video

BMBC new church construction 2013 Nov

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BMBC new church construction 2013 Nov - Video

The church building at Colvin and Tacoma avenues in North Buffalo is gone, but the bell tower is not.

Plans for 40 market-rate apartments that will be built around the tower are progressing, with construction expected to begin this summer and last from nine months to a year.

The tower is really a beacon in the neighborhood, said Sam DeFranks, whose Apollo Dismantling Services was hired to tear down the church in January 2013.

DeFranks grew up in North Buffalo and still has family there, and said the property which his company bought in April from the United Methodist Church offers an opportunity to build something new as well as to diversify his business.

The brick used in the housing development will be similar to the existing brick on the tower, and the roofing material will be similar to the one that was on the church.

Plans for the project, calling for 16 one-bedroom and 24 two-bedroom units, were approved Tuesday by the city Planning Board, although some neighbors objected to aspects of the plan.

The project will include three buildings that are each three stories, as well as covered parking spaces.

The developments parking configuration was modeled on Mayfair Lane off North Street in Allentown, architect David Giusiana told the board.

The gated parking is below a raised courtyard, which is surrounded by housing.

Linda Franchell, who lives next door, praised DeFranks, saying he was the best neighbor she has had there in 26 years. But she expressed concerns about how only 5 feet separate her house from the proposed townhouses.

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Church bell tower is ‘beacon’ of 40-apartment vision in North Buffalo

Brooklawn School Superintendent John Kellmayer has a simple wish list for his crowded, one-building Camden County district: more space.

Kellmayer hopes that he has made a strong-enough case to persuade voters Tuesday to approve a $1.9 million bond proposal to convert a nearby former Catholic church into a middle school.

The district spends thousands of dollars annually to send its special-education students outside the district because it has no space. At Alice Costello Elementary School, a classroom is inside the gym. The art and music programs share a classroom, and music lessons are taught on the stage.

"We're basically out of room," Kellmayer said.

The district enrolls about 360 students, compared with 222 in the 2000-01 school year.

If the bond is approved, the district would buy the vacant St. Maurice Church and rectory. Both would be renovated and house five classrooms, small-group instructional areas, and office space.

"We just see it as a win-win situation for the school, the community, and, frankly, for the church," Kellmayer said. "It's a great opportunity."

In March, voters rejected a similar proposal by 12 votes. But that proposal did not include state assistance, Kellmayer said.

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Brooklawn to vote on bond to convert church into school

By Joel Schipper, Reporter Last Updated: Monday, January 27, 2014, 5:47 PM ORLANDO --

An Orange County church said they are not happy with what the city of Orlando says the house of worship is worth.

Now the city says they are ready and now have the option to take legal action if needed.

Faith Deliverance Temple, located at 625 W. Church St., is in the middle of property the city is going to buy to place a new soccer stadium.

The church property is valued around $700,000. The city has offered to pay $1.5 million.

While that may seem like a tempting offer, the church isnt budging. Instead, members said the city should pay $40 million, which is up from the initial counter offer of $35 million.

The city voted Monday to approve taking action of eminent domain, which would allow a city or government to legally buy a property for what it is value if the property would be for public use.

Its a public use, absolutely, said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. It would house many different events.

Eminent domain lawyer Stumpy Harris said the church should take the offer.

Double the offer is a pretty good deal, Harris said. Double the appraiser but then I would have to know what my appraiser says. If he says about the same thing, then thats a good deal.

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Church battling city of Orlando over land for new soccer stadium

Free Sign Up CP Newsletter! Related Fmr. Ky. Pastor Pleads Guilty in Record-Breaking Drug Bust; Used Church Building as Distribution Site Pope Francis Says Internet Is a 'Gift From God' That Unites Humanity 6 Ways to Evaluate Your Church's Strategy to Assimilate New Believers

January 26, 2014|11:02 am

A constructions crew was preparing to demolish a California church last week when it uncovered a piece of history a time capsule from 1948.

The box, which is made of copper and was soldered shut, was discovered behind the cornerstone at St. Paul's Church in Berkeley, Calif., according to Berkeleyside. It was found after developer Bill Schrader Jr. told his construction crew to save the cornerstone so it could be included as part of the new apartment building that will be constructed on the site.

Instead of opening the box himself, Schrader gave it to Leonard Nielson of the Presbytery of San Francisco, the organization that previously owned the church. Nielson, who serves as the pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in San Leandro, also works with other churches in the presbytery and oversaw the sale of St. Paul's.

Nielson openedthe time capsule on Monday. Inside were, among other things, a Bible from 1875, programs from the church's groundbreaking ceremony in 1948 and a brief history of the founding of the church.

The box also contained fliers from the temperance movement that were written by the church's founding pastor, Frank Shunk Downs. In addition to leading the church, Downs also served as the president of the California Temperance League.

Nielson says the church was probably built by people who settled down in Berkeley after World War II, and at the time it wasn't uncommon for people from the community to gather together to construct their own church building with the presbytery's financial support.

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"It's a story about a particular time that doesn't exist anymore, how people lived in neighborhoods," Nielson told Berkeleyside. "The church was a big social connection in those days. You can look at the time capsule and realize the whole story of how that little teeny church got started. These little churches were built with enthusiasm and a very, very local connection."

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1948 Time Capsule Discovered in Calif. Church Before Demolition; 1875 Bible Found Inside

The number of total permits issued by the citys building department took a jump last year compared to the previous year.

There were 282 permits issued in 2013 for an estimated construction cost of $20,055,450. That is compared to 217 issued in 2012.

There has been growth in the number of permits issued since 2009, according to information issued by the building department.

In 2010 there were 186 permits issued, and 188 permits issued in 2011.

Of the permits issued in 2013, 26 of them were for single-family homes with an estimated construction cost of $3,703,220.

That is up slightly from 2012 when there were 22 of those permits issued.

There has been a major increase in the number of single-family attached home permits from 2012 to 2013. There were 83 permits issued last year, which is up 53 from the previous year.

Single-family attached permits include apartments and duplexes. The estimated construction value is $7,734,870.

Community Development Director Joseph Graves said more rooftops bodes well for attracting retail and industrial developments.

The city of Union continues to be the fastest-growing community in Franklin County, Graves said. I believe that is due to the proximity to the interstate, low real estate costs and the superb quality of life.

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Residential Permits In Union on the Rise

Mega construction minecraft (Church)
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Mega construction minecraft (Church) - Video

CLARKSVILLE, mo.

When Kirk and Mary Ostertag first saw the inside of the church, vines were growing through the windows, water was leaking in and it smelled of mildew. It was like a scene from Jumanji, the movie, Mary Ostertag said. But my husband and I looked at each other, and we just smiled. We fell in love with it.

At the time, Grace Episcopal Church had been vacant for three years. It closed after the congregation dwindled to four and had been on the market for $115,000.

The couple, who were living in Ladue, looked at property in Clarksville a decade earlier. Kirk Ostertag, a contractor, was interested in the architectural history, and Mary Ostertag, a painter, in joining the artist community there.

But the timing hadnt been right. Their children, Tom and Kari, were still in school, and they were concerned about the potential for flooding in the tiny Mississippi River town of 442.

Things were different in 2011. Their children were grown. The church, at the corner of Howard and Third streets, was out of the flood plain. And despite its deterioration, the place had good bones.

A lot of the water issues were because of deferred maintenance, Mary Ostertag said. They werent cleaning the gutters out, but its got a great drainage system.

When the Ostertags closed on the property about eight months later, they painted over the robins egg blue walls and pulled out the 22 pews. The former sanctuary is now one big room with several sitting areas and an artists studio. They converted the lower level what had been the meeting hall into their bedroom.

Theyve lived in the home full time for about seven months. They declined to disclose the sales price or the cost of their year-long renovations.

The church was established in 1869, but the current structure didnt go up until 1940. Dr. Malvern Clopton, a St. Louis surgeon with strong ties to Clarksville and the Episcopal church, paid for its construction.

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Old Episcopal church is now home for former Ladue couple