St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 9275 Bringle Ferry Road, held a groundbreaking service for a $2 million Family Life Center conducted by the Rev. Gary Coble on Sunday, Nov. 15. More than 200 members attended the service of groundbreaking before the regular Sunday morning worship service.
In October 2000, a fund was established by a donation of $20,000 in memory of a deceased member. In April 2006, the church voted to hire an architect to do the preliminary design. On November 1, 2009, the congregation voted to proceed with construction.
Church members participating in the groundbreaking ceremony were Gary Huffman and Tom Waller, co-chairs of the Building Committee; Drema Fortson, co-president of the WELCA and representing the women of the church; Ashley Kate Kesler, representing the youth of the congregation; Larry Thomason, president of the church council; and Ben Agner, a member who will serve as the construction superintendent.
Special guest participating in the ground breaking ceremony were John Fuller, architect; Carl Corney, owner of Davie Construction, the general contractor; and Paul Fisher representing F&M Bank which will provide the construction/permanent loan.
St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church was established in 1838. The existing church was built in 1884 and expanded in 1924. Sunday school wings were added to the church in 1947. The fellowship hall was built in 1959.
The interior of the church was renovated in 1985, and in 1990 an educational building and a connecting corridor were built. Three years later the wings of the church were renovated and a second corridor was constructed.