Published: June 26, 2009 11:08 am      

Mullen Baptist Church gets assistance with new sanctuary

MONTROSE — The Rev. Tom Cosat hopes this Sept. 20 is a particularly special day at his Mullen Baptist Church in rural Montrose.

On that third Thursday of September, the church plans its annual homecoming for church members — and others — who attended the old Mullen School on the site of the church. Cosat hopes visitors have a brand-new sanctuary to worship in by then.

“God has done His part,” Cosat said. “Now it’s up to us.”

Church members have been busily preparing the interior of the 7,000-square-foot sanctuary building, which also will include classrooms, restrooms, a storage room and a pastor’s study. The exterior, as well as some interior framing, was taken care of last summer by two groups associated with the North American Missions Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

A team from Billingsley, Ala. came to the area and framed the building in four days. Later that summer, another 20-plus volunteers from Tennessee did some interior framing.

Cosat, who has been pastor at Mullen for seven years, said the current sanctuary seats only about 50 people.

“There’s very little room up there,” he said. “We began to think about expanding several years ago.”

The options were to upgrade the current sanctuary, or convert the current fellowship into a multi-use area that would include a sanctuary.

“After several congregational meetings, we came up with the idea of getting a new sanctuary built,” the pastor said.

Cosat said the layout of the building would make the first option difficult. The congregation voted in early 2008 to build an addition that would include a sanctuary with seating for up to 200.

After that decision was made, Cosat registered the project on “The Bridge,” a North American Mission Board Web site.

“Builders start looking on that site in February or March,” Cosat said. “We got a call the day after we put our project on the Web site.”

Church members spent much of the fall siding the exterior of the addition before moving inside. Church deacon Chris Yocum has been wiring the addition in preparation for insulation and drywall installation.

The addition will be highlighted by a stained glass window crafted by Gary Worby of Charleston.

Cosat said the current sanctuary will likely be turned over to the church’s youth group.

The addition is the latest chapter of a storied history that has included both education and worship.

A school was first built on the site in 1860. School was let out forever on the site when Cumberland County consolidated its school system in 1949.

The church was started in 1956 as a mission of First Baptist Church in Effingham. Congregational growth soon enabled the fledgling church to shed its mission status in 1959.

The first church was immediately east of the old schoolhouse, which was later bought by the congregation for $15,000. The old church was torn down in 1980.

Bill Grimes can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 132 or bill.grimes@effinghamdailynews.com.