Living Water Rising Again with Help from Georgia to Oregon

BLUE RIVER: Nearly six years after the Holiday Farm Fire swept through the McKenzie Valley, another piece of Blue River is taking shape again - this time with considerable help from volunteers who traveled across the country to lend a hand. The Living Water Family Fellowship envisions a new kind of church on the eight-acre Blue River property where crews are building a roughly 4,400-square-foot multipurpose parsonage with living quarters plus a large "family room" for worship, Bible teaching and community gatherings.

A 23-member volunteer construction crew from the Georgia-Alabama region is helping move the project forward, with five retired contractors providing construction expertise and direction for other volunteers. Church Mobilization, a ministry associated with the Oregon Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God, is coordinating the project.

Pastor Doug Fairrington says the program links churches in need of construction help with volunteer teams from around the country. Junior Childers, a national missionary and Church Mobilization director, is helping oversee the Blue River project, including ordering materials and coordinating construction. In the process the church serves as the owner-builder and holds the permits.

The crew had arrived expecting to install windows, doors and exterior weather protection, but construction materials didn't show up on time. So the volunteers turned their attention to one of the project's most pressing needs: getting a roof over the building before fall weather arrives.

Their work focused on roof framing, including a complicated section where the roof over a vaulted parsonage living room intersects with rafters over the adjoining family room.

Their immediate goal was to complete roof sheathing, fascia and overhang work so the roofing contractor could move ahead.

The rebuilt structure was designed somewhat differently from the church that existed before the fire, Fairrington said. Instead of a conventional sanctuary with rows of chairs facing a stage, Living Water Family Fellowship plans a more informal gathering area called the "family room." The idea, he said, is to retain worship and Bible teaching while creating an atmosphere that feels less institutional and more welcoming to people who may not be accustomed to attending church.

The approximately 40-by-30-foot family room will connect directly to the residential portion of the building. The parsonage itself includes three bedrooms, a study or office, kitchen, dining and living areas, plus an additional two-bedroom, one-bath guest area that could accommodate visiting speakers, worship leaders, family members or other church guests.

For permitting purposes, Fairrington said, the entire structure is being treated as a single-family residence; the guest portion will remain part of the dwelling and will not have permanent kitchen appliances that would turn it into a separate residence. Lane County, the church's insurance company and others involved in the project have allowed the multipurpose design to proceed under the parsonage's residential permit, he said.

The volunteer model is also an important part of the church's financial recovery from the Holiday Farm Fire. Insurance proceeds, donations and donated labor are allowing the church to work on the project without debt, Fairrington said. The church would like to receive occupancy approval by Christmas, although he stressed that the timetable remains uncertain.

Much will depend on inspections, arrival of materials and whether additional volunteer construction teams can be scheduled.

For the Georgia volunteers, traveling across the country to help a small church rebuild is part of a long Assemblies of God tradition. Team leader John Connelly of Columbus, Georgia, said volunteer mission construction dates back to the late 1960s, initially focusing heavily on overseas work before expanding into church construction, revitalization and disaster recovery within the United States.

Volunteers pay their own travel expenses, Connelly said, and his church averages more than three work trips each year. He's been making the trips for about 40 years and estimates he has participated in more than 50 projects.

Teams vary greatly depending on what's needed. Connelly recalled one of his largest trips involving 82 volunteers who provided dental, medical and construction services in Venezuela. This time, their destination was Blue River.

The new parsonage and family room may only be the beginning of the church property's redevelopment. Fairrington said the eight-acre site provides room for additional improvements, potentially including regraded grounds, a playground and an outdoor pavilion. The site of the former church also retains longstanding commercial land-use approval, according to him, leaving open possibilities for future development.

One idea that has been discussed - but is not a formal plan - is eventually developing a destination event venue, possibly in conjunction with the nearby Three Sisters Meadow development and perhaps including lodging.

For now, however, the focus is much more immediate: walls, concrete, windows, doors and, especially, a roof.