Eggerts Crossing Congregation to Build New Church

Nestled on Hillcrest Avenue in the Eggerts Crossing section of Lawrence Township, the 90 or so members of the are taking a leap of faith by building a new church to better serve the needs of their congregation and the community at large.

“Making a better community through fellowship, worship, outreach and service” is the mission of the church.

Nearly 10 years ago, Brother Ernest Chester and other members of the congregation started dreaming about a new church. Their current house of worship, built in 1928, was not meeting the needs of the current church membership.

The congregation, made up of people from Lawrence, Trenton and surrounding areas, is aging.

Senior members of the congregation, in a recent survey, indicated they are not attending worship services because the stairs leading into the existing church are too steep and because there is no bathroom on the same level as the sanctuary.

Another issue of concern is that the basement often floods. Most recently, five inches of water filled the basement and caused much damage.

In 2006 the congregation decided that, instead of trying to patch up the existing church, it would be best to build a new one. They have been fundraising ever since, with the cost of erecting a new building estimated at around $700,000. First Choice Bank is helping the congregation with financing.

The new church – to be built about 100 yards from the existing church – will be able to accommodate 154 worshipers; the existing church has seating for only 100.

The new building will be double the width (increasing from 25 feet to 54 feet) and 10 feet longer. Facing the old church and parking lot instead of facing the street, it will be flush with the pavement to provide easier access to the sanctuary and will include bathrooms on both floors.

The existing church will be torn down once the new building is in place.

The congregation has received from the township all the necessary permits for the construction. “It is nice to see that come to an end. We’ve worked hard,” Chester said.

Ground-breaking for the new church is expected to take place later this month, with construction expected to last seven to eight months. The congregation is praying their new church will ready by April or May of next year.

Rev. William Burnett took over as pastor of First Baptist Church of Eggerts Crossing about 18 months ago, following the death in 2010 of the prior pastor, Rev. Johnnie Huff.

Burnett had previously founded the Greater Hope Baptist Church in Trenton. When Rev. Huff became ill, Burnett stepped in to help out with the congregation’s Bible studies. After Huff passed away, the congregation chose Burnett as their new leader. Because Greater Hope Baptist did not have its own church building, many of the members there joined the church on Hillcrest Avenue.

Burnett envisions the new church having “more to offer people and to attract more congregants.” In the new space there will be a larger office for the church secretary, a trustee room, and a conference room, he said.

“We are trying to set up a computer room to attract area children. Eventually we want to have an after-school program,” Burnett said. The goal is to be able to offer outreach ministries to better serve the needs of the community, he said.

As part of this mission, next week (June 16-20) the First Baptist Church of Eggerts Crossing will be offering full-day Vacation Bible Camp free-of-charge, including transportation and lunch. When this was offered for the first time last year, about 50-60 children attended.

This year, the congregation would like to increase the number of Vacation Bible Camp attendees to at least 70. The theme of this year’s camp is “Paradise Adventure”. For more information contact the church at (609) 882-5136.

First Baptist Church of Eggerts Crossing’s Sunday School meets every Sunday at 9 a.m., followed by worship service at 10:45 a.m.