The Havre (Mont.) Church has taken on the task of building a new church. They are making progress, but the building process has had challenges. As church members and the crew were preparing to lay the foundation, the heating contractor informed members they needed to add to the heating system and should install a floating slab inside the foundation with 2 inches of foam insulation between the slab and wall. Also, they must dig a 3-foot trench and pour footings and then place a foundation wall around the perimeter of the building. This increased the church's budget by more than $35,000.

Originally volunteer stone masons were scheduled to lay the stone veneer on the building's exterior. This did not materialize, so another $10,000 had to be spent to hire the work out.

The church is small. Members continue to be frugal, while trying to maintain quality construction and minimize future operating costs. The funding shortage just means the project will take more time than anticipated. In the meantime, church services continue to be held in the church school's gymnasium next door.

"We believe the decisions we have made are good ones and it's important we have a building which represents Christ well in our community," says one member. We have received many compliments from the community on the attractiveness of the new building and believe it will serve the cause of Christ well for many years to come. A considerable amount of volunteer labor has been donated so far and will continue. "We are looking forward to occupying a facility that will be beautiful, functional and allow for growth," says one member.