A volunteer works on the addition to the Harvest Church in Baker City.

A two-phase renovation of the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall in southeast Baker City that started this summer will resume late this year.

Marlin Snyder, coordinator of the body of elders for the Baker City congregation, said the building at 975 S. Bridge Street, near Mount Hope Cemetery, was constructed in the early 1970s.

“This is what we call a major renovation,” Snyder said.

Kingdom Hall was remodeled in the early 2000s, when materials containing asbestos were removed.

The current project started in July, when workers repaved the parking lot, replaced the roof and installed underground utilities.

The second phase will start in late November, when workers will renovate the interior and install exterior siding.

Some of the members of the congregation, which totals about 85 people, will help with the project.

The work is slated to finish in late February or March 2024, Snyder said.

He said the congregation has a comprehensive maintenance schedule, which includes a thorough check of the entire building every two years. The results are reported to the local bodies of elders and to the main office in New York.

Based on those reports, each Kingdom Hall throughout the country is scheduled for renovation as needed, Snyder said.

Volunteers from other congregations travel to other Kingdom Halls to help with renovations, including the project in Baker City.

“We bring tradesmen in from all over the area, even other states,” Snyder said. “Our region is probably the biggest one in the branch.”

The region includes Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah and parts of Wyoming and Colorado.

Demi Sorensen, 18, whose family has a general contracting company in Pendleton named Eastern Oregon Building Enterprises, traveled to Baker City to help with the first phase of the project in July.

She plans to return for the second phase this winter.

“I’m glad we’ve had some people from Hermiston, and people from La Grande and Enterprise come down,” Sorensen said. “It’s just a lot of fun because you don’t really have to be in a trade to be invited. And they teach you and you learn here.”

Snyder said more than 200 people have helped with the Baker City project so far.

Baker City’s Kingdom Hall

The interior will have modern LED lights for the auditorium, new speakers, a new HVAC system, and new chairs to replace the benches.

The hall will be painted brown, replacing the current bluish-gray.

Snyder said Kingdom

Halls are the site of the

congregation’s twice-weekly meetings, which include

Bible-based lectures and

talks.

“That’s what all of this building is about is to make sure that each community

has its center of worship so that we can have our ministry go out from there,” Snyder said.

There are no plans to expand the Kingdom Hall, he said.

The building can

accommodate 135 to 140 people, with room for some growth in the congregation.

Snyder said the project will cost about $750,000.

The office in New York handles the financial aspects.

Money for the work is supported by donations worldwide.

Jehovah’s Witnesses also help with building projects on other continents, including Africa and South America, Snyder said.

Jim Westin, an elder

from Hermiston and media representative for much of Eastern Oregon, said until about 2013, Jehovah’s Witnesses raised money locally for building remodels and repair.

“If we were a little short, we would ask for a loan from the branch or other congregations,” Westin said.

But about a decade ago the organization started pooling donations together, then dispensing it to individual Kingdom Halls as needed.

Westin said the Baker

City Kingdom Hall will

have an open house and dedication when the project is finished.

Helping where it’s needed

The Jehovah’s Witnesses tradition of helping congregations around the country is not limited to building renovations.

Snyder said volunteers also travel to help with natural disasters, such as the recent fires that devastated parts of Maui, Hawaii.

Jehovah’s Witnesses who work on Kingdom Halls are volunteering to help with relief efforts in Hawaii.

Westin said volunteers will rebuild homes and places of worship.

“It’s all volunteer work,” Westin said.

Harvest Church in Baker City is adding a multipurpose structure to its main building.

The 5,000-square-foot addition is on the east side of the church at 3720 Birch St. at the northeast corner of Baker City near Interstate 84.

Lead pastor Brad Phillips said the church will use the new building for a variety of classes, youth groups, Bible studies and other events.

Phillips said the church, which has been operating for about 80 years, has activities and groups six to seven days a week.

“We will have different activities or different groups come in,” he said. “It’s needed. It adds about 20 percent to our building.”

The church’s congregation numbers between about 250 and 300 people.

Besides the new structure, the church is building a sidewalk along Birch Street.

“That’s a really positive thing for the neighborhood,” Phillips said.

Construction on the addition is expected to be completed in December.

Phillips said the majority of the work is done by volunteers and some subcontractors to help with electrical and plumbing.

He said the church will hire contractors to install insulation and drywall. Phillips said Bill Harvey, owner of Bill Harvey Custom Builder, has helped the church immensely.

The project is self funded by the Harvest Church. Phillips did not know the final price of the project.

Although the new structure will have classroom space, Phillips said the church doesn’t plan to use any of the new classrooms for Harvest Christian Academy, which operates at the church and has about 100 students from preschool through 11th grade.

The academy has been operating for 41 years. Phillips said the number of students attending the academy has increased over the years, and the church plans to add 12th grade classes next year.

— Samantha O’Conner