Offering their best to God

Country church gets old-world atmosphere
by Erin Edgemon

Bethel United Methodist Church is a modest country church. It doesn’t stand out from its location on the winding Sulphur Springs Road. The historic church, built in 1887 but organized 69 years earlier, is a special place to its growing membership of more than 150. Revitalized due to recent renovations, the enlarged sanctuary of Bethel United Methodist is now ornamented with a simple stained glass window and other cosmetic improvements. Bethel United Methodist Church is located at 4286 Sulphur Springs Road. “People that are coming to worship, they feel very proud to be a part of the church,” said Bethel Pastor Bob Niles. “They feel they are offering their best to God every week.”

Seeking to make the church more appealing to Rutherford County’s growing population, Bethel committed $145,000 for the renovations. The four-month project was completed in December by Nashville-based The Building Group Inc., owned by MTSU alum Rodney George. Niles wanted the company to take special care to preserve the historic nature of the church, the oldest in the Murfreesboro district that extends through Pegram in Cheatham County, about 50 miles northwest of Murfreesboro, and to Tracy City in Grundy County about 60 miles southeast of Murfreesboro. The pastor said he knew of The Building Group’s reputation before contracting the company to do the work.

Audene Phillips, a 60-year member of Bethel, was in awe when she saw the restored sanctuary, recalling childhood memories of the church. Back then, the church was heated by two wood-burning stoves that sat on either side of the pulpit. Dubbye Elliot, co-chair of Bethel’s building committee, said the renovations have sparked a renewed interest in the church. “The church has come together,” she said. “Everyone there is tickled to death. It looks new but it has its own character. It just has its own fire.” Pastor Niles said the restoration has breathed new life into the church and attendance has risen this year. “There is an excitement that the church is looking forward to the future and this church can accommodate more people,” he said. When Niles became pastor of the church a year and a half ago, it was in dire need of restoration. “It looked like the church was in decline,” he said, “but the congregation wasn’t.” The tiled ceiling was falling out. It was removed and a new curved bead board ceiling, which resembles the original ceiling that had been covered for decades, was added. A wall constructed behind the pulpit more than 50 years ago, to create three classrooms at the back of the church, was removed, allowing the church to accommodate 40 additional people. New wrought-iron chandeliers and sconces with candlestick lights were added. Furniture was refurbished and a new electrical and heating and air conditioning system was installed. Bethel’s original single-panel speckled glass windows were left in place. A turn-of-the-century baseball and square nails resembling small railroad spikes were found during the demolition.

Q&A with Rodney George

Rodney George, president and chief manager of The Building Group Inc., is a lifelong Middle Tennessee resident and a graduate of MTSU. He is a licensed general contractor in the state of Tennessee. George’s Nashville-based company completed a $145,000 restoration project for Bethel United Methodist Church in December. For more information on The Building Group, visit www.the-buildinggroup.com

Question: When was your company founded? What is its structure?

Answer: The Building Group was founded five years ago. Our firm is a design-build firm, meaning we take projects from the beginning to the finish. The company has a staff of 15 made up of an office manager, project managers, estimators, field personnel, architect, foremen and carpenters. The Building Group does a majority of the carpentry.

Question: How did restoring historic churches and building churches become your niche?

Answer: I spent six years in architecture and doing work on churches before forming The Building Group. It was hard to find good quality contractors to do the work. The design-build concept works for churches, which are usually on a budget. I design something that the church wants and have it come out on budget. We have a very good track record of coming within 5 percent plus or minus of the estimated price. It also allows churches to know they have and expert who will give them sound advice.

Question: What percentage of your business is church-related?

Answer: That is the cornerstone of our business is church work. Ninety percent of our business is church work.

Question: What are some other projects your company has done in Rutherford County?

Answer: We renovated St. Margaret’s Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and renovated the sanctuary and added a three-story building to First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, both in Murfreesboro.

Question: What do you get out of doing this work? Has your business evolved into what you had envisioned?

Answer: I have always wanted to own my own business. Sometimes I question that decision (he said jokingly). No one in my family is in construction or architecture. I like to build buildings on paper. The beauty is being able to build it and then being able to touch it. There are not many jobs where you can touch what you do. To me, that is pretty special.