By ART PARKER
On well-traveled Browns Road in Millbrook one will view a beautiful church property that even has a couple of vegetable gardens. Millbrook Baptist, nearly fifty years old, provides ones eyes with an extra small town comfort.
Recently, the view of Millbrook Baptist changed, and the staff and members had to really get on top of things.
The steeple, which has been front and center on the main part of the building, has been removed due to water damage. “There was damage down to the shingles under the steeple and quite a bit of rotten wood,” Pastor Mike Ingram said. “It never got into the sanctuary…until it did,” Ingram said with a small chuckle.
Ingram said the problem was realized when Millbrook endured one of the big rains that came through early in the year. After investigating the highest point of the building, it was evident that the steeple was not repairable.
Ingram said that as far as he knew the steeple has been there since the church was built in the 70s. The removed steeple is fiberglass with a wood frame and is about 32 feet tall when sitting upon the roof.
But what about the timing? The damage was discovered about the time the world changed due to the coronavirus.
“The virus is not a blessing, but as far as the roof and steeple are concerned, well, in a way it was. It was a good thing we were closed due to COVID-19. It would have been difficult to have repairs done if we were meeting,” Ingram explained.
The church is gathering as much information as possible before reopening to members. Clearly, repairing the roof is a priority before reopening. “It looks like the roof will be finished by mid-May, and we are hoping to have services the Sunday after Mother’s Day,” Ingram said, “If not then, well, my best guess is the first of June.”
It’s not just a regular Sunday morning church service that is all to be considered. Once a clear understanding of rules and government guidelines are digested then all churches must understand the applicability to its own situation. “We don’t know how to do things yet because we don’t know all the guidelines. As far as we are concerned there is a good chance we will need to have multiple services because of social distancing. I can see us having a service then cleaning up, wiping the sanctuary down and having another service. I just don’t know as of this point,” Ingram said, “We will need to consider all church activities…we really have a great deal to consider.”
As far as a new steeple is concerned, that too is another story. “The direction we take concerning a replacement will need to be a church-wide decision. There are many options to investigate. So as far as what we do about it, that will be up to the members later on,” Ingram explained.
