Breaking ground on a vision

New Vision Fellowship has had quite the odyssey over the past several years, changing locations as church officials anxiously awaited the go-ahead from state officials to build off N.C. 311 in Madison.
The end of the journey began this past weekend, when the congregation gathered at the summit – the site for the new church – at N.C. 311 and Lindsey Bridge Road. The church bought the land in 2001, but construction has been stalled since. It was 21 acres then, but proposed state road projects have whittled the property down some.
Nevertheless, the vision remains strong for the new church, which will encompass 11,000 square feet and include a worship center and education facilities. State plans, which originally called for splitting the church property, moves the Lindsey Bridge intersection westward about 1,000 feet from the current location, cutting about 2.7 acres off the western edge of New Vision’s property. The DOT project to replace the two bridges also calls for that section of U.S. 311 to be widened to at least three lanes. That portion of the project takes about 1.5 acres of church’s road frontage, according to a story by News Editor Steve Lawson.
What began as a bridge-replacement project evolved into a $5.1 million endeavor. Work on the Beaver Island Creek bridges is expected to begin some time this month and is scheduled for completion by December 2010.
Drivers will see improvements, and the inconvenience will be minimal, state officials say. Maybe most important, the church has finally come home.
“The addition of the traffic signals, wider roads and new turn lanes should greatly improve traffic on that section of the highway,” DOT engineer Mike Mills said. “That was one of our goals all along and it’s nice to see it coming to pass.”
A variety of things could have led to further delays in the church’s construction, especially when considering road and building plans in today’s economy. But we’re fortunate to have New Vision as a neighbor, and we’re looking forward to the day the church on the hill finally opens.