By LISA BRITTON

John Goodyear gets a twinkle in his eye when he talks about the man who showed up one day and offered to help remodel the new home for Baker Valley Church of Christ.

andquot;He walked by and my dog chased him,andquot; said Goodyear, minister of the church.

The man followed the dog, Peaches, back to the building where Goodyear was working on the exterior of the building at the corner of Church and Seventh streets.

andquot;He said, ‘I’ve handled a shovel before,’andquot; Goodyear said.

The man stayed for six months.

andquot;He worked right alongside me. Then one day he got a job and went away,andquot; Goodyear said.

Then he smiles.

andquot;And you know what his name was? Gabriel.andquot;

Baker Valley Church of Christ bought this building and took possession on Oct. 31, 2004.

The church finally had a permanent home after meeting in the rented Extension Building for the last 15 years.

andquot;We had to set up every Sunday and tear down every Sunday,andquot; Goodyear said.

But their new home was a bit of a fixer-upper with a crumbling foundation, water damage and mold.

andquot;We had to come in with prisoners and strip the basement there was even mold in the ducts,andquot; he said.

Though work still remains, the Baker Valley Church of Christ will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9. The public is invited to tour the building to see the changes.

Been home to several churches

Aside from the structural improvements, Goodyear wanted to transform the church into a more inviting space.

The dark wood of the sanctuary is now a pale blue, and new windows open to bring breezes into the worship services.

andquot;I sprayed these pews in 3? hours,andquot; Goodyear said with a grin.

Squares from the original stained glass windows were salvaged to create one colorful window.

andquot;We saved one stained glass window for posterity people want to see what they’d known,andquot; Goodyear said.

This church building has housed several congregations, including the South Methodist Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Victory Tabernacle Pentecostal Church of God.

Phyllis Badgley was baptized in this church on Easter 1931 when it was South Methodist.

andquot;I had a new dress new to me, but my aunt had made it for me out of one of her formals,andquot; Badgley said. andquot;It was pink crepe. I remember it exactly.andquot;

She was 6 when she received the baptizing sprinkle of water.

andquot;Instead of being excited about going to heaven, when it came time to sprinkle me, all I could think of was the water was going to run down on my new dress,andquot; she said with a smile and shake of her head.

Her mom, Louine May, taught Sunday School at the church, and Badgley remembers how it felt when the children were allowed to ring the church bell.

andquot;The rope it seemed huge to get your hands around it. They’d let us ring it and it’d lift us clear off the floor,andquot; she said.

That bell was used by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and is now located at the SDA church on Pocahontas Road.

A work in progress

After buying the building, Goodyear and youth minister Rob Dennis put together a video to document the renovation needs of the building.

Goodyear said Churches of Christ from around the region responded with donations.

andquot;We just depend on the response of God,andquot; he said. andquot;One guy just called up and said, ‘I have $1,000, can you use it?’andquot;

The donations have helped pay for paint and supplies used to rebuild the porch and entryway to make a more inviting space.

andquot;People have to be excited about where they are,andquot; he said.

The basement is slowly taking shape as the youth group space, and other rooms have been enlarged by removing unnecessary dividers.

There’s still more work ahead, but Goodyear grins as he talks about the progress they’ve already made.

andquot;We’re in a state of change around here,andquot; he said.

Sunday services for Baker Valley Church of Christ are a time of praise and prayer at 9:30 a.m. and worship at 10 a.m.

The church’s phone number is 524-9383, and the Web site is www.bvcconline.org.