On July 7th, Orchard Christian Fellowship of Londonderry, NH moved into their new 5600-square foot facility. Completed in just eight months, the building now provides the congregation with worship space for up to 320 people.
Pastor Ken Glasier says the congregation is very excited about having a place to “go out from”. “We refer to the sides of the structure as ‘roof supports’ instead of walls because we don’t walls to separate us from our community. Our congregation sees our building less as a place to go on Sunday and more as a place to connect with the community.”
The Orchard, as members refer to their fellowship, are very connected to their community. Prior to the building completion, Orchard Christian Fellowship met at the elementary school next door. During the five-year use of the school facilities, The Orchard provided many tangible gifts to the school and great support for the school staff. The church has also loaned their sound system to the school during their musical productions.
Construction had some interesting moments. New Hampshire is known as “The Granite State” and the construction company had to blast into rock three times a day for 4-1/2 weeks to level the property for a building site and parking lots. “We are built on solid rock in more ways than one, “says Glasier. The Orchard had a great relationship with the construction company, North Point Construction Management. Many of the construction crew were on hand for the first service July 7th and will be on hand for the September 8th dedication and grand opening. The framing subcontractor also donated some of the time and materials.
Currently, The Orchard holds their service “family style” until they build an education wing with classrooms and staff offices. You can see more photos of the sanctuary at www.OrchardNH.org.