The pounding of hammers and whirring of an electric saw drawing curious onlookers to the church raising at First Baptist Church in Whitewater, and Pastor Phil Berry couldn't be happier.

"We're hoping to grow," said Berry. But the building that currently houses the church wouldn't make that feasible. The sanctuary is only 15 feet wide and the individual pews are 12 feet long, so there isn't much room to walk. But a new sanctuary will give the church ample room, some extra classroom space and an area suitable for fellowships and meals.

Volunteers from New Life Baptist Association arrived Monday to begin building the church's new sanctuary space. The crew arrived to see only a concrete foundation in place, but construction has progressed quickly since then. By Thursday afternoon, the project was beginning to take shape, with four walls and a roof.

On Monday, the longest of the church's four walls was up and complete -- it was raised in a single piece.

"And we almost fell short on help," said crew foreman Charles Fattig of Maryville, Mo.

The other walls, from the frame to the plywood finish ready for siding, were raised in sections. None of the work has been done according to blueprints, which don't exist.

The crew has worked from a computer-drafted sketch of the building and a list of site measurements.

For 15 years, this group of volunteers has taken on similar jobs assisting other churches with construction projects. Many of their efforts are in small, rural communities from southwest Missouri to Colorado and Canada.

The Whitewater church is the first project for the group this year.

"And we're just so glad they came to do this for us," Berry said. "We're a small church so there's not that many hands."

And such a task would have been time consuming without many helpers.

Even now, the project will be far from complete when the volunteers leave. There's still insulation to add, walls to finish, a roof to shingle and wiring to run.

"It looks like it would be expensive to build," Berry said of the building, "but we'll have it up for less than $75,000 or $80,000." And at a substantial savings over the typical construction project costs that involve hiring crews and finding a general contractor.

The amazing thing about this group is its diversity, Berry said. There are college students, families, retired farmers and teachers and some people with construction backgrounds. And everyone has a job. Fattig said he seldom has to assign work, since most people find a task they're capable of doing and just start in.

But none of this work would have been feasible without a vision for what could be, Berry said. Church members purchased their current building on Main Street about six years ago. It is the former post office that has been converted to suit the church. The congregation has talked of an addition, but couldn't figure out exactly how to do it. A corn field sits directly behind them and houses were situated on either side.

But two of the houses came up for sale. The church bought one and had it razed but waited to see how the other could be used. One of the men in the church overheard a conversation between two women who asked why the church just couldn't raze the second house and build out into the side lot.

"I guess that was listening to the voice of God," Berry said.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126