Staff Writer

A nearly century-old church and school on Laney-Walker Boulevard could fall victim to the wrecking ball this week, despite efforts by historic-preservation groups to save them.

Demolition of the former church and school buildings could begin as soon as today, despite preservation groups' efforts to save them.

MEG MIRSHAK/STAFF

The auditorium of the former Immaculate Conception School on 11th Street is set to be demolished, along with two classroom buildings and the former sanctuary. After its establishment in 1913, hundreds of children in the Laney-Walker neighborhood attended the school.

Preston Tutt, the vice president of Tutt Contracting Inc., said the demolition of the Immaculate Conception buildings is pending clearance that all asbestos has been removed.

A single-story classroom building facing 11th Street would be the first to go, possibly as soon as today, followed by a two-story classroom building, the former sanctuary and the auditorium.

After the concrete parking lots are removed, grass seed and mulch will be spread to cover the lot, Tutt said. Crews worked Monday to prepare for the demolition.

The church and school were established in 1913 by the African Missionary Fathers of the Catholic Church. Over the years, Laney-Walker neighborhood children of all faiths were educated by Franciscan sisters and lay people.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah moved the schools operations to Telfair Street in 2009. Since then, the diocese has been unable to sell the property, which was listed for close to $550,000, and the buildings continued to deteriorate.

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Historic church, school set for demolition

Members of Bethel Baptist Church watch the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a sanctuary on Sunday. Construction is expected to be completed by 2013.

TUSCALOOSA | It's been 10 years since the leadership of Bethel Baptist Church first started dreaming of a new, larger sanctuary next to its existing church on 30th Avenue in West End.

On Sunday, that dream took a big step toward fruition.

The Rev. Schmitt Moore, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, broke ground on the new sanctuary with other church leaders as church members celebrated the ministry's expansion. The new building, which will be built adjacent to the existing church, will be about 16,000 square feet and hold about 564 people in the new sanctuary. Construction will take about a year to complete. The church received a loan for construction through Capstone Bank.

This is a great milestone for us, and we are wonderfully blessed, Moore said.

The expanded church will help Bethel Baptist serve the community in a better way, he added, with more space for more members.

The expansion has been a long time coming, said Leon Brown, a deacon at the church.

This is what the building is about, the church's ministry to the community, Brown said. We are here thanking God for this opportunity.

The current church building was built in the 1960s and before that was located near DCH Regional Medical Center. Church member Lucille Owens has been going to Bethel Baptist her entire life and was part of the group that helped the church get built in its current location more than 40 years ago.

I'm very excited about the new building. It's going to be beautiful, Owens said. It's been a long time coming but it's a great day here.

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Bethel Baptist Church breaks ground on its new sanctuary

04-05-2012 05:37

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Cerca Church Construction Assembly Line Pour - Video

04-05-2012 13:47 Belize Mission Trip with International Servants, Dr. Paul Whisnant, and our Belize Mission Staff. Children's Ministry and Church Construction.

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Belize Mission Trip 4 with International Servants and Dr. Paul Whisnant - Video

04-05-2012 15:02 Belize Mission Trip with International Servants, Dr. Paul Whisnant, and our Belize Missions Staff. Medical Missions Team, Children's Team and Church Construction Team.

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Belize Mission Trip 3 with International Servants and Dr. Paul Whisnant - Video

04-05-2012 17:29 Dr. Paul Whisnant leading Ed Young of Fellowship Church and 2 other Pastors on a Mission Trip tour of our Belize Mission with International Servants.

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Dr. Paul Whisnant leading Pastors on a tour of our Belize Mission - Video

04-05-2012 15:58 Belize Mission Trip with International Servants, Dr. Paul Whisnant and our Belize Mission Staff. Medical Mission Team, Children's Team and Church Construction Team.

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Belize Mission Trip 2 with International Servants and Dr. Paul Whisnant - Video

04-05-2012 19:53 Promo Video for our Belize Mission Trips with International Servants, Dr. Paul Whisnant and our Belize Mission Staff. Medical Missions Team, Children's Team and Church Construction Team.

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Belize Mission Trip - Promo Video - 3 minutes - Video

From its earliest days as Tauntons meeting house to the present day, First Parish Church has long strived to be a more than house of worship.

Opening our doors and welcoming the community has been a central part of our ministry for 375 years, said longtime church member Barry Sanders, who has served as First Parish Churchs director of religious education for 18 years. Over the years, weve done all kinds of things at the church.

The citys annual Liberty and Union celebration, for example, a series of events held each year to commemorate Tauntons role in Americas struggle for independence from Britain, grew out of a service First Parish Church began holding approximately 20 years ago, Sanders said. And when the Silver City Teen Center was forced to vacate the former Pole School amid concerns over safety conditions there, it found a new temporary home in the First Parish Church basement.

We were welcomed in on very short notice, teen center director Annemarie Matulis. They have been as warm and welcoming as can be and have been the only congregation that has welcomed the gay-straight alliance.

The gay-straight alliance, she said, is one of the teen centers programs.

Matulis is also director of Southeastern Massachusetts Voices Against Violence and runs Dress to Impress, a program that provides gently used business attire to economically disadvantaged jobseekers. Those programs have also used space at the church for years.

Although the teen center is seeking a larger space than the church can provide, Sanders said he would like to maintain and strengthen the partnership with the organization, even if it relocates.

One of the things were always interested in is to become partners with these organizations, Sanders said. Much of their work is things that are absolutely in the ministry of Unitarian Universalism and our church.

The church grounds over recent years have hosted charity walks, domestic violence awareness displays and inaugurations of elected officials. When construction of a new park forced the Taunton Farmers Market to relocate, it found new space on the church grounds last year. Additionally, the Taunton Garden Club holds its meetings at the church and plans to create a new garden on the grounds, Sanders said.

Assisting community organizations and forming new partnerships, Sanders said, is a rewarding experience for the church.

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Partnerships connect First Parish Church with community

Walking from their homes in West Concord to West Concord Village last week, friends Betsy Higgins and Pam Swing stopped in their tracks when they noticed some interesting construction going on at the West Concord Union Church.

We noticed a man was there putting stones in place, Higgins said. We stopped and said hello and asked him about it. Its quite beautiful.

Since the beginning of April, Marty Kermeen, of Labyrinths in Stone, has been busy creating a Petit Chartres Labyrinth, based on the design of the Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth in France.

According to the West Concord Union Church, a labyrinth is a single path of several circuits combining the ancient symbols of circle and spiral. It is a spiritual tool based on ancient patterns that date to pre-Christian times.

West Concord Union Church Deacon David Sedlock said the decision to construct a labyrinth at the church began about a year ago.

We had discussions with members of the congregation about creating a welcome garden and many of them were interested in constructing a labyrinth next to that, Sedlock said. Many of the members were very familiar with walking labyrinths and thought it could be a very spiritual and meditative activity that we could incorporate within the church environment and the Concord community.

After working with a site designer to develop a plan, Sedlock said the church was able to find Kermeen, who operates the labyrinth-making business out of Chicago, Ill., with his wife Debi.

As founding members of the International Labyrinth Society, Marty Kermeen and Labyrinths in Stone, have made temporary and permanent labyrinths all around the country. Kermeen said labyrinth-making has become part of his everyday life.

The business found me, Kermeen said standing outside West Concord Union Church. As a stone sculptor and paver, Marty said he has created paver art around the country for more than 25 years.

The Kermeens labyrinth creations can be found in places including cathedrals, churches, hospitals, schools, museums and private homes.

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West Concord Union Church in Concord constructs stone labyrinth