An 18-foot, 650-pound steeple was placed atop North Lake Community Church, located at 3131 Harbor Drive near May, Wednesday morning as a dedication ceremony also took place.
“We’re thrilled with what began as a challenge to our church in January of 2021,” said Ron Keener, Pastor of North Lake Community Center. “We were then meeting in the parking lots (due to COVID) and we were wall-to-wall people out here. I said then that ‘we need to light up our building and be more of a reflection than we have been in the community of trying to reflect the love and light of Jesus.’”
The first step in that journey was a red cross placed above the front door entrance and just below the roof at the church.
“That is lit up all night long, and after seeing that I said, ‘I think we need a steeple,’” Keener said. “Our people stepped up and our whole purpose in doing this is what we’re about at North Lake Community Church and that’s to show love. Not just talk about it but put it into action.”
AIT Crane Service, owned by Dan and Janet Bolton, provided the crane that lifted and set the steeple atop the church.
The steeple was created by Tri-State Steeple, LLC in Longview, owned by Terry Martz, who was also on hand Wednesday.
A significant portion of the funds for the steeple project, which cost $10,000, were donated by Elaine Keener, Ron’s wife, from the estate of her son who drowned 14 years ago. Elaine’s daughter and her daughter’s husband also contributed a large sum.
Like the cross on the front of the church, the steeple will be illuminated at night as well, bathed in purple light.
