“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.” -Hebrews 10:24-25
Assembling together — that’s been one of the few constants at Pleasant Grove Assembly of God on Turkey Creek Road over the last few years.
For more than 10 years, worshippers have crammed into the church’s Fellowship Hall, which only comfortably holds 100. But this month, the church can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
After three years of construction, Pleasant Grove’s new sanctuary is finally complete. In 2004, the historic structure was demolished due to structural degradation.
Since then, the Pleasant Grove congregation has been worshipping — and donating. Finally completed, an official dedication for the sanctuary will be held Sunday, Feb. 19.
For Christina Zaino, church administrator and wife of the church’s pastor, the Rev. Joseph Zaino, the project has been a long time coming.
“It’s about time,” Christina Zaino, the church’s administrator, said. “This means everything, to have a beautiful new church they can invite family and friends to.”
BUILDING BACK UP
Now with a congregation that ranges from 150 to 200 regular members, the church had humble and historic beginnings.
In the late 1800s, Pleasant Grove Camp Ground was established by local Methodists and homesteaders, Zaino said. Bi-annual camp meetings were held in a covered pavilion on the grounds.
In the early 1900s, walls were placed around the pavilion as regular church services began to be held. The old sanctuary was born.
Shortly after, the church joined the Assemblies of God, a sect of the Pentecostal denomination founded in the early 1900s.
That same sanctuary, a staple in the local community that maintained a significant presence in The Peninsula Florida Council of the Assemblies of God, stood for more than 100 years until its demolition 13 years ago.
When Zaino’s husband took over as the church’s pastor at Pleasant Grove about five years ago, it didn’t take long for the couple to recognize the need for the project —something they felt the historically significant church and its congregation direly needed.
With dreams of a new sanctuary on the horizon, the church congregation continued to come together to worship. As they did, the donations for the new sanctuary poured in.
“You go to the post office and people are talking about it,” Zaino said. “We’ve got quite a few donations from people who don’t even live here.”
Steel was donated through a local company. A nursery helped with grass and sod. Retired professionals from the National Arm of the Assemblies of God were sent to help with construction.
Seasonal workers were one of the church’s biggest assets. Mission America Placement Services, a group of retired professional contractors, construction workers and more, sent workers down during the winter months. More commonly known as RV MAPS, the team of builders travel the country in RVs offering their expertise for free.
At one point, Zaino said, there were about 20 RVs on the church grounds.
In 2014, the project was expected to take about one year to complete. Though using seasonal workers delayed construction, Zaino said, it was well worth the wait.
“That was also a blessing, having seasonal workers,” she said. “They saved us about $300,000.”
The new sanctuary will also offer facilities to the congregation they were unable to offer before, including classrooms, a kid’s church and nurseries for young families, essential for the church’s growing congregation.
“We’re seeing more younger families come in and this just helps us meet the needs,” Zaino said.
Pleasant Grove will hold its official dedication for the new sanctuary at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, at the church, 7051 S. Turkey Creek Road.