It’s been 25 years since the Inman Methodist Church completed an expansion that added a fellowship hall and numerous Sunday School classrooms.
I was on the Building Committee for that project, and it was a great honor. We worked on the plans for a long time, and the congregation was supportive of the project.
There was one sticking point early on. The Finance Committee, led by my dad, wanted us to have half of the building cost in hand before we broke ground. A lot of people wanted to go ahead and borrow the entire amount (close to $1 million) so we could start construction sooner.
A vote was held one Sunday morning. The proposal to raise half the money passed by a single vote. (We did recount a time or two to be sure of the outcome.)
We worked hard raising that money, but we got it done quicker than expected.
When it came time to plan the groundbreaking, I told the group about a photo I’d seen in a farm magazine years before. In that old photo, the entire congregation used a big rope to pull a horse-drawn turning plow. With an experienced plow hand working the plow, the dirt really rolled, creating a much more memorable experience than the standard photo of a few people throwing scoops of dirt with shovels painted gold.
So we set about to use a plow for our groundbreaking instead of shovels.
Frank Reeves (L) with Rick at a Farm Bureau event for appreciation. Photo credit: Frances Reeves
An Inman legend, Frank Reeves, the long-time church Treasurer who was as frugal with the church’s money as he was with his own, was chosen to plow even though he was very sick with pancreatic cancer. Mr. W.A. “Bud” Ballard from Woolsey, another community legend known for his frugality, loaned us a good strong plow.
The proposed groundbreaking ceremony had a lot of parallels to the building project itself. For starters, using a plow for the groundbreaking was a signal that although we were in an expansion mode, at heart we were still a country church.
We wondered whether congregation be strong enough to pull the plow and would the ground be too hard to get a good furrow going? Likewise, would the members be able to raise the rest of the money and do the work necessary to complete the building addition and put it to use?
Would Frank be able to summon enough energy to handle the plow? Would the Building Committee be up to the challenges that come with steering a major undertaking?
The groundbreaking ceremony was set for a Sunday just after church. Although Frank had said the Saturday night before that he didn’t think he’d be able to plow, he somehow summoned the strength to fulfill his role. Actually, he looked and sounded much stronger than I thought he might.
Frank started off by explaining the nuances of plowing with a mule (He’d had plenty of experience with that earlier in life.) Then the rest of us lined up and grabbed onto the rope, which was tied so that three lines of people could participate. As we started to pull, Frank set the plow into the ground and the soil began to roll. It couldn’t have worked any better and was quite a sight to see. The building expansion got off to a glorious start.
Frank Reeves breaking ground for Inman UMC annex. Photo credit: Frances Reeves
There were a few unexpected – and expensive – obstacles to overcome on the construction of the building, but it turned out really well. The remaining balance was paid off after a few years, and the building has been a great asset to the church and the community.
Sadly, Frank never saw the building completed. He died not long after the groundbreaking.
Frank was like family to Joanne, Stephanie and me. The memories we made together continue to be a blessing to us.