“We’re in construction, no matter which way you look at it,” said David Martin of Temple, the youth pastor.
The interior remodeling work that began in February, when the church took over the site of the old Dollar General store at 102 S. General Bruce Drive, still continues. The main arena’s walls and floors are complete, but the front stage and storage closets are still considered works in progress.
“And the people, as a church, we’re in construction too,” Martin said. “We’re getting organized and preparing to launch a bunch of community service projects.”
Aug. 13 marked the first day of the church’s prayer night for women.
“That’s something we’ll be having every Thursday at 7 p.m.,” Martin said. “It’s an hour of prayer, and anyone who wants to be a part of it is welcome to come out and visit.”
To welcome the new school season, the church will host a free concert at 7 p.m. Aug. 29. Beckoned, a gospel band from Huntsville, will perform.
“They’re a very talented group,” Martin said. “Everything’s free, and anyone’s welcome to come. If you’re hungry, there’ll be some sausage wraps and drinks on sale.”
And the concert’s not a one-time deal.
“We’re planning to have a free concert every month on a Saturday night,” Martin said. “We want to give the community a safe, affordable place to come and have fun.”
Several performance groups, both local and not, are on the church’s radar for upcoming shows. As plans are finalized, they’ll be posted at www.mychurch.org/anewdayawakeningchurch.
Another big event for the A New Day Awakening Church is its Aug. 23 community-wide baptismal service.
“It’ll for all ages,” Martin said. “People can come to rededicate their lives to the Lord or be baptized for the first time.”
The baptizing will occur in a water trough.
“It’s total submersion,” said Pam Martin, another youth pastor. “We’ll be using that until the church can afford to buy a baptismal tub.”
The ceremony’s set to begin at 10:30 a.m., and as church pastor the Rev. Mike Rutledge will be conducting the event.
All of these programs are meant to serve the Temple-Belton community as a gesture of friendship and outreach.
“We are extending our hand to people who have left the church or to those who’ve had bad experiences at church,” Martin said. “It’s about giving everyone the opportunity to have a relationship with God in a welcoming, accepting environment.”
The non-denominational church, Martin said, doesn’t ask its members to “be or say any one particular thing.”
“It’s an open-door policy,” Martin said. “Gossiping is the only thing that will get a person asked to leave. We don’t believe in judging others.”
Mrs. Martin nodded.
“We are to show them, everyone, love as Jesus would,” Mrs. Martin said.
Average Sunday attendance at A New Day now exceeds 100 people.
And the youth group has about 40 members. It meets Sunday mornings for Bible school, on Wednesday nights for Bible study and on Fridays for recreation and fellowship.
“The kids have a lot of fun in youth group. We just got back from a weekend at Seaworld,” Martin said. “They raised every penny it took to go themselves through fundraisers.”
So as each day comes, the church wakes to a busier calendar.
“And that’s great,” Martin said. “We’re excited for the progress this far, and we’re excited to be here, to really feel the love of God.”
tlunsford@temple-telegram.com
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HOW TO HELP
The members of A New Day Awakening Church in Temple have been remodeling the interior of their church building since February. They’ve supplied all the manpower and supplies themselves. Significant progress has been made, but the church is not yet complete. They need 2x4s, drywall and sheetrock to finish the job. They are also on the look-out for musicians to join their choir and praise team. Internet-savvy folks are also needed to help revamp the church’s Web site. For details, call Pam and David Martin at 254-760-5058.
