Hard work pays off

For the first time in more than 60 years, parishioners of First Southern Baptist Church of Wellton will be raising their prayers to heaven from a new location.
 
After five years of fundraising and volunteer construction parishioners will move into a brand-new church for worship that Sunday.
 
The minister leading the flock at First Southern Baptist Church of Wellton says he credits years of prayer, vision, generosity -  and good, old-fashioned hard work.
 
"It's been a very long journey, but an exciting one," said Pastor Charles Wesner.
 
The new church is located at 11711 Williams St. across from Coyote Wash in Wellton.
 
Wesner said the public is invited to attend a special open house, which is planned for 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 30. A barbecue will follow at 5 p.m. The public is also invited to the dedication service, which will take place at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 31.
 
Seeing the church officially open promises to be a fulfilling moment for many Wellton residents, many of whom helped build the church.
 
"We have built this building strictly with volunteers and an organization called Campers on Mission, who are mostly retirees with heart and some of them are skilled craftsmen," Wesner explained. "We estimate that volunteers saved us $1.5-$2 million in labor."
 
Volunteers with Campers on Mission visited Wellton from September through April for the past three winters.
 
Roger Ullrich served as building coordinator, while Cecil Pratt served as chairman of the building team.
 
The new church is built on five acres, which were donated by the late Glen Curtis Sr. The building features 32,000 square feet, including a sanctuary that can seat about 500. The church's current building can only hold about 175 people.
 
The new church also boasts an auditorium that Wesner said amounts to being the biggest community hall in east Yuma County. He added that the auditorium was built with the community in mind and will be available for use by local groups. The church also features a large kitchen, "huge patio" and a good deal of space for the church's educational programs.
 
"Our architectural style is kind of Southwest meets Santa Barbara style," Wesner said.
 
First Southern Baptist Church was founded in 1945, with the current church being built shortly thereafter. The campus, which has been bought by the town of Wellton, is located at 28802 San Jose Ave.
 
The pastor said several of the buildings that were connected to comprise the old church came from General Patton's barracks that were located in Dateland.
 
A lack of space and advancing age simply became too great for the church community.
 
"When it came to weddings and funerals and vacation Bible school, which is a very important ministry for us, we just didn't have enough space," Wesner said.
 
The old church building will see its last services on Sunday, May 24. The few remaining charter members are invited to attend, plus the pastor encourages folks to attend and share their memories of the old church.
 
"This will be our time to say good-bye to the ministry of the old campus," Wesner said prior to the event.
 
But parishioners aren't saying good-bye to the old church completely, however. A mural found along a wall of the old baptism area has been framed and will hang in the new church.
 
"It was painted by a former pastor in the 1950s," Wesner. "That will be our nostalgic piece."

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Darin Fenger can be reached at
dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.