By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
At the end of May, the grounds at and around the Assembly of God Church in Caribou became a hub of activity and the results of this activity became quickly visible to anyone who travels along Sweden Street on a regular basis.Pastor Tony Searles, a native of Caribou, who returned to the area with his wife Angela and their two children, in 2009 to serve as pastor of the Caribou Assembly of God Church stated that the idea of building an activity center had been a goal of the congregation for nearly 25 years.
According to Pastor Searles through a two and one-half year funding campaign and pledges from church members, that raised an estimated $150,000, the approximate 7,700 square foot structure will be a one-story activity center/fellowship hall which will also provide space for classrooms.
“Our first phase is to have the frame construction completed this fall and the second will be to finish the interior by next year,” said the local pastor. “ The new activity center will be completely handicap accessible, we don’t want any restrictions — everyone will be able to come to worship here,” he added.
The project became a reality when on May 25, ground-breaking ceremonies were held with, among others, two of the church’s eldest members, Margaret Cote and Delmar Wilcox, lending a helping hand. Completed by contracted crews, once initial groundwork was completed, including foundation poured, frost walls secured and the sewer lines in place, the plumbing and radiant floor heating were installed and seemingly within a few short weeks the structure was framed. Currently the exterior walls are strapped with insulation with the windows and doors in place.
The stick-built building has been erected by volunteers and their families from around the nation including New York, Michigan and Texas who have been ‘summer residents’ in Caribou, having parked their RV’s adjacent to the Church.
“A very large part of the credit of successfully achieving the construction of this center goes to the ‘RVers’,” stated Pastor Searles. According to Pastor Searles, the ‘RVers’ are made up of retired craftsman volunteers, members of the Division of Assembly of God U.S. Mission who build structures for the ministry. The volunteers will most likely remain in Caribou, working on their project until sometime in September.
“Through the volunteer labor of the RVers and our church members, we were probably able to cut the cost of this activity center by half,” stated pastor Searles.
