By Evan CardenSA Editor

Wagarville Baptist Church with its new steeple shortly after it was lowered in place. (SA photo by Evan Carden) Two area churches received new steeples during the first part of the week, one that had never had a steeple and the other being replaced due to damage from Hurricane Ivan.

Wagarville Baptist Church received its new steeple Monday afternoon and Rockville Baptist Church got its new one Tuesday morning. Both were delivered by the same company, Fiberglass Unlimited, of Roanoke.

Around 1 p.m., Monday, a small group of congregation members gathered at Wagarville Baptist Church, which is located near the intersection of U.S. Highway 43 and State Highway 56, to await the arrival of the new steeple.

The old steeple at Rockville Baptist Church was replaced Tuesday morning. Hurricane Ivan caused a severe leak in the foyer of the church’s sanctuary. (SA photo by Evan Carden) The church was built in 1946, and has never been adorned with a steeple until now, according to Pastor John Shiver.

Church treasurer Peggy Lankford said in 2000, several members of the congregation decided the church needed a steeple. During a business meeting, they asked if there was enough money in the budget to purchase one and were told that the church could not afford it.

Ledford uses the boom truck to lift the steeple up to the roof of Wagarville Baptist Church. Straps had to be secured in two positions before it could be lifted safely, without damaging it. Richardson waits to assist Ledford in putting the steeple in place. “But, they wouldn’t be outdone,” said Lankford. “They decided they would donate to a fund, every time they could afford it, for the mission of buying a steeple.”

Left photo: The old steeple is lifted off of Rockville Baptist Chur-ch to make way for the new one. Some roof repair had to be completed before the new steeple could be installed. Right photo: The two-man crew from Fiberglass Unlimited arrived at Wagarville Baptist Church Monday afternoon, with the two steeples. During the same time a suggestion was made that in lieu of flowers at the death of a loved one or friend, it would be nice to contribute that money to the steeple fund. “A note was sent out to the family members the contribution was made for and a thank you note was sent to the contributor from the family member,” she added.

Richardson stablizes the new steeple as Ledford lowers it into position on the roof. Beams had to be attached to the rafters inside the attic of the church, to which the steeple was bolted. The steeples are made of fiberglass. By 2004, a total of $2,115 had been collected in the fund. The goal was $4,000, which would only pay for the steeple itself, not the installation. Juan Whitehead, a friend of a congregation member, called after he noticed a poster for the steeple fund during a funeral for his friend and offered to buy a steeple. He said the remainder of the money could be used for the installation.

With Whitehead’s contribution and other donations for memorials, plus the contributions made only for steeple means, the total of the fund rose to $6,580. That amount was enough to purchase the steeple and pay for the installation.

Shortly after 1 p.m., Monday, the truck from Fiberglass Unlimited pulled into the church parking lot, hauling both steeples. “Our members are very excited about getting a steeple for our church,” said Rev. Shiver. “Everybody seems to associate a church with a steeple and we’ve looked forward to this for awhile.”

Installation of the new addition took a little more than 1-1/2 hours to complete. A two-man crew, equipped with a boom-truck handled the entire process.

Roger Ledford said he has been installing steeples for 26 years. He said the company specializes in church steeples as one of its custom fiberglass products. Helping him was Lynn Richardson, a former construction worker who has worked for the company for six years.

The installation of the new steeple went pretty much according to plan, but that wasn’t the case for the next morning’s endeavor.

After removing the old steeple at Rockville Baptist Church, the men discovered rotten wood where water had leaked through it. That had to be replaced before the new steeple could be installed.

(SA photos by Evan Carden)

(SA photos by Evan Carden)

(SA photo by Evan Carden)