A major remodel project inside the current sanctuary at Central Baptist Church of Corbin has created a unique opportunity that will see the congregation meeting inside the old sanctuary for Sunday morning worship services for the first time in over three decades.
Beginning Sunday, Sept. 29, CBC will feature two Sunday morning services – one at 8:30 a.m. and one at 10:30 a.m. – inside the old sanctuary that so many people in the local community grew up in, or have surely heard stories about from parents and grandparents. This is being done so that extensive renovations can be completed in the current sanctuary, which has not been updated since it was first built in the mid-nineties.
“There will be new paint, new carpet, new screens, speakers and lights,” Pastor Josh Pollitt said of the remodel. “Just about everything cosmetically that you can change.”
Pollitt said this will be the result of a year-and-a-half long planning and fundraising effort, and he is excited to see how the upcoming transitional period will help to both literally and symbolically bridge the gap between past and future generations.
“As we restore our place of worship and try to make it better, we want to make sure that we are also renewing our hearts at the same time,” Pollitt explained.
As for getting the opportunity to move the congregation back into the room where so much history and so many memories reside, Pollitt said, “This will be a time of reflection, as we’re going back to where it all began. Many people were saved and baptized in this room. They were married, and they dedicated their children in this room. This will be a special time.”
In the spirit of honoring of the past while keeping an eye to the future, CBC will welcome back its former pastor, Don Mathis, on Sunday, Oct. 13. Mathis is the longest serving pastor in the church’s over 100 year history, having served for 13 years between 1979 and 1992.
“We are inviting brother Don Mathis to come back and do one of his signature revival sermons,” Pollitt said. “This sermon has impacted and shaped our congregation, but it has been so long since he has done it here that over half of the current congregation has probably never heard it.”
“I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be back in this room and have him come back to do this again for the next generation,” Pollitt added.
Despite the logistical challenges, Pollitt said he is very excited to see what the coming weeks will look, sound and feel like as churchgoers once again file into CBC’s original sanctuary for worship.
“It is going to be extra work, but it’ll also be well worth it,” Pollitt assured.
Pollitt said the hope is to have the newly updated current sanctuary back open by Christmas of this year.
In the meantime, two Sunday morning services will continue to be presented, both including music led by Pastor Steven Lowe, in the old sanctuary.
Balcony seating will not be available for these services.
For more information about Central Baptist Church of Corbin, visit them online at www.gocentral.org or call them at (606) 528-6650.
