Work continues on interior of new ministry building

CHEBOYGAN — Since last fall, contractors and volunteers have worked on bringing the vision of a new facility for Cheboygan Compassionate Ministries and the Cheboygan Church of the Nazarene to life.

The building was constructed and enclosed on Court Street late last fall, and work on the interior has continued throughout the winter. The crews have been working toward a tentative opening date in late June or early July.

"We were able to get temporary heat in here, so they could do the drywalling," said Pastor Wynne Schott, co-pastor of the Cheboygan Church of the Nazarene and co-chair of Cheboygan Compassionate Ministries. "They have been working all week, and probably next week. We hope to get that done and start painting."

Volunteers have come in and put all the drywall up on the walls that had previously been framed in. Last Thursday, there were more volunteers mudding the joints to make them seamless walls, and sanding that mud to make it flat, preparing for paint.

In the next couple of weeks, a contractor will be doing duct work for the heating and cooling systems. The cement floors of the building will also be sealed.

Progress has also been made on the large kitchen area where Cheboygan Compassionate Ministries will be operating its meal program, The Lord's Kitchen. The FRP, or Fire Resistant Product, has been placed around the walls of the kitchen space, instead of drywall, which is standard for kitchens in facilities like restaurants. The stainless steel backsplash where the oven and stove will be placed has also been installed, along with several sinks.

In the northeast corner of the new building, the walk-in freezer where The Lord's Kitchen can store food products has been installed.

"We are very excited about our walk-in freezer," said Schott. "This, we got a grant for it, so we were able to have this in our facility."

Bill Schryer, co-chair of Cheboygan Compassionate Ministries, said the freezer was one of the first items they were able to procure for the new building.

The general contractor working on the project with Cheboygan Compassionate Ministries and the Cheboygan Church of the Nazarene — George H. Pastor and Sons General Contractors of Livonia— have constructed a number of fast food restaurants all around the state. The contractors have a number of kitchen appliances from these restaurants they have built and are donating some of these to help complete the kitchen at the new building. These donations include the triple sinks, the hood vent for the stove, countertops, and many of the doors scheduled to be hung around the new facility.

"I'm blown away," said Schryer. "We would not be able to afford this. That is great."

Cheboygan Compassionate Ministries will add a new ministry service to its offerings when they are able to open. People will now be able to take a shower and get cleaned up thanks to the new, stand up showers — one male and one female shower — that have been installed in the northwest corner of the building.

Schott said she has talked with people in the community who are homeless or do not have reliable access to shower facilities, so she is looking forward to being able to offer this new ministry to the public. She said the need for such services has only increased over time.

"I obviously couldn't offer it yet, but it is definitely needed," she said. "We really love our community and we want to be able to better take care of the needs in the community. We are very excited about this building."

With the new building nearing completion, Cheboygan Compassionate Ministries will also now have the space ento bring witness teams up to Cheboygan, to complete mission projects in the community.

The goal is still for Cheboygan Compassionate Ministries and the Cheboygan Church of the Nazarene to be able to move into the new facility without debt. The groups are continuing to raise funds and seek donations to put toward the project.

"It's a realization that can happen, with more people coming on board to support us," said Schryer.

When the groups first received a bid to build the new facility around four years ago, the total cost was around $400,000. With the increase in cost for materials and other aspects, the bottom line is now closer to $700,000.

Through donations and supporting the ministries of the groups, the building is becoming a reality.

"We give God all the glory for that," said Schott. "Even despite the pandemic, despite the costs raising up, God is allowing us to do this, despite all the odds."

There is still more funding needed to bring the project across the finish line. Additional donations are still being accepted to help complete the building.

"I'm excited it's getting done. We keep moving along," said Pastor Jon Schott, co-pastor of the Cheboygan Church of the Nazarene. "We need to raise about $120,000 more. If we do that, we can have our building paid for and we won't have to get a loan. We've come a long way. Everything, so far to this point, has been paid for."

Cheboygan Compassionate Ministries is hopeful to be able to host its annual back-to-school event at the new facility in late August.

Contact Features Writer Kortny Hahn at khahn1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @khahnCDT.

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Work continues on interior of new ministry building