Pictures from top to bottom:

A good turnout represented the depth of commitment.

Pastor Dave Van Arsdale, Bill Sorensen, Deb Bender, Allison Hammond, Wilma Cooper, and Don Gatewood sing a hard-hat version of Christ is Made the Sure Foundation.

The symbolic first shovelful!

The professional team helping with the renovation.

For the first time in nearly 80 years the entire facility will be fully accessible to every member of the congregation. The magnitude of this project sends a clear message to the Kalamazoo community that First Presbyterian Church is fully committed to our downtown location and to our gothic sanctuary. We celebrate this symbolic first shovel of soil on behalf of the entire congregation!

With faith in Jesus Christ,
this work is begun
and this ground is broken
in the name of the father,
and of the son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

On October 25, at 3:00 p.m., the long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for the renovations took place. Members of the Building Committee, representatives of Miller-Davis, the pastors, and several dozen members of the congregation attended.

The opening portion of the program was “Welcome to a special service. We’re here this afternoon to celebrate the beginning of a renovation project the magnitude of which our congregation has not experienced since the construction of our beautiful sanctuary nearly eighty years ago. The commitment of the congregation to this renovation has been nothing short of breathtaking. The work, prayer, and financial commitment from the congregation over the last three years have brought us to this time and place where we begin the project.

“For the first time in nearly eighty years the entire facility will be fully accessible to every member of the congregation. The magnitude of the project sends a clear message to the Kalamazoo community that First Presbyterian Church is fully committed to our downtown location and to our Gothic sanctuary.

“We celebrate the symbolic first shovel of soil on behalf of the entire congregation.”