
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 7, 1993                   TAG: 9310070464
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: W-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: FRANCES STEBBINS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BAPTIST CHURCH MAKES DEBUT

For 16 months, people in the suburban neighborhoods around Cove and Green Ridge roads have been watching a new church take shape.

Green Ridge Baptist, a $1 million structure that should meet North County needs well into the next century, according to its pastor, the Rev. J. Michael Palmer, will be used for the first time Sunday.

Dedication, when all the finishing work is done, is scheduled for Nov. 7 at 2 p.m.

Crowned by a cupola, which will be lighted, the brick church will seat 600. Its worship center with a color scheme of shaded grays will have pews arranged in five sections. Associate pastor Tyler Burkett calls the general design "contemporary with some traditional touches." The central baptistry with a stained glass window similar to one in the old church is there, and wood beams, open for a view of the cupola, are a reminder of some older architecture.

But an adjacent "cry room" is new for most Baptist churches, Palmer noted, a convenience for mothers who can nurse or comfort babies while hearing the service. It's flanked by a prayer and counseling room from which occupants can also see into the worship area.

Fully accessible to those in wheelchairs, Green Ridge's new building is marked by a central foyer with entrances at either side of the building. The church is nearly surrounded by its parking lot, although a recessed court near the Cove Road entrance will eventually be abloom with flowers and shrubs, Palmer noted.

In the worship center itself, the pulpit and the area for about 65 choir members are reached by several shallow steps. This, said Palmer, brings those leading worship closer to the congregation. The same effect is intended in the semi-circular arrangement of the pews. Elaborate musical and dramatic productions will be possible with the choir seats removed and the risers converted to a small stage.

Green Ridge had to build, said Palmer, because it outgrew its 1967 worship center, which seats about 275 and was too often overflowing. It will remain as a chapel. The new construction has made possible some major changes in the older buildings, which include the first worship center and a later education wing.

Under the big worship area is a fellowship hall which members plan to finish themselves. It includes a kitchen and four ground-floor classrooms. With many Baptist churches providing a supper to accompany mid-week worship and meetings, Green Ridge had to feed members in shifts in its old quarters.

Started by the late Rev. H.W. Connelly in the 1960s, it was intended as a neighborhood church for the developing suburbs. It grew fast in the 16-year pastorate of the late Rev. Sam Wall, but Palmer is concerned by national reports that many who call themselves church members today actually have no meaningful involvement in a congregation.

The Green Ridge building project, designed by Ron Martin and Associates and built by Q.M. Tomlinson, has attempted to meet the needs of people of all ages who expect their church to offer comfortable surroundings similar to those found at their workplaces or homes.

by CNB