A group of carpenters from around the country gathered in Fairburn to build a church for a congregation they have never met.
Channel 2’s Lori Wilson went to the construction site to find out how the men’s mission led them here.
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Every year, Steve Fuller and a crew of about 125 contractors choose a mission and go build.
“It’s unbelievable to see how much work is accomplished here in basically a week,” Fuller said.
The group calls themselves Carpenters for Christ. Every year, they pick a project and donate their time and talent. In about a week, they raise a church somewhere in the US.
This year, they’re building Living Word Church Ministries in Fairburn, pastored by William O’Neal.
“It was like wow. Just wow… you know, it was hard to believe,” he told Wilson.
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O’Neal has been actively pastoring in the Fairburn community for 16 years.
The church outside of four walls says it has been giving back and meeting needs. It trusted God when it came time to build a church, it would be done debt free.
“We bought the land. We bought the plan. We got all of the site work done,” O’Neal said.
That miracle: a phone call from contractor Christopher Gilliam.
“It makes you feel good to be able to help people and know that you’re building the kingdom of Christ,” Gilliam said.
He told O’Neal that not only did he want to do the project, but he had a team of 125 carpenters from around the country who would come with him and do the work for free.
“I was like, you’re gonna give me this news while I’m driving,” O’Neal joked.
That was about three weeks ago. The Sunday before the work started, the carpenters worshipped with the congregation they came to help, even if the work started off with a rainy week.
“It doesn’t matter if he blows the building down… or he sends rains every day: We’re going to continue to serve him and just try to help people,” Fuller said.
“We’re building a building but God is building a church,” O’Neal said.
When the men leave this weekend, the church will be 85% done. The pastor hopes to have the first service in the new building in late August.
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