FORT SMITH (KFSM) - A $1 million church is going up at Chaffee Crossing, as the area continues to expand. The church is one of eleven being built in the area to accommodate the growing population.
Volunteers have been hard at work building a new Missionary Baptist Church. "It's about 9,500 square feet," said Pastor Phillip Pevehouse. "We are going to be able to construct all the way to worship area down to our fellowship hall on the other end." Crews are working to get the frame of the new church put up by the end of the week. " We will have all the walls up inside and outside," said volunteer Eddie Gene Wright.
Pevehouse said, "Anytime your in the building project it makes you feel like your moving forward and progress taking shape of getting something done."
Pevehouse spends his Sunday's at church. " I have been a pastor at this church for 23 years," said Pevehouse. But his weekdays, he is an investigator for the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office. " There's not much difference between the two jobs," said Pevehouse. "Both of them are ministry and serving others, doing whats right and protecting those that can't protect themselves."
Pevehouse is working with volunteers from the Arkansas Mission Builders to get his church built. " We are from all over the state of Arkansas, usually we have 15 to 25 volunteers," said Wright.
"They'll do this for any church group missionary work ministry, " said Pevehouse. "They'll come in and they will start building, most of them are retired fellows."
Pevehouse said they expect to open the churches doors for services by the end of the year. Right now, the congregation is having services at a temporary location on Waldron Road.