Posted: 3/8/05
Looney Valley addition complete
Volunteers played big part in project
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Looney Valley Lutheran Church is growing in more ways than one.
They are capping off a year-long construction project this Sunday with the dedication of a big, beautiful addition.
It includes a fellowship hall, kitchen, and bathrooms. The old part of the church was improved in several ways also.
Project manager and church member Jim Morcomb, 69, told me about it last week. Itís an impressive bit of work in many interesting ways.
The project can be summed up in one word: volunteers. Just about every aspect of the huge project had free labor, and not always from church members either.
Jim Chapel donated the 500 yards of sand that was needed to fill the five-foot-high foundation walls, which used insulated concrete forms. Jeremy Van Gundy donated the truck to haul that sand, and Ray Mark drove the truck for free.
Chain Drive in Dakota loaned the church a Bobcat to move dirt. Church member Jerry Olson, who did similar site work for a living before retiring, did a lot of the earth work. ìHe knew what to do and how to do it,î Morcomb said. That could be the motto for the project.
Doug Peterson of Peterson Construction in Utica set the trusses with the help of three of his crew, all for free. They supervised where to set the crane, where to set each of the 66 trusses and how to put them together. (The trusses came in three pieces because they were too big to truck in one piece.)
ìSeven hours, we had those trusses all set,î Morcomb said. It was a big relief that they fit perfectly, he added.
Kent Holum did all the millwork, and trim and cupboard installation for free.
Adrian Traff of Houston did all the plumbing at no charge.
Morcomb oversaw the tile work, all 50 cases worth. He taught some other men how to do it too, which they appreciated. ìHave the fun of working together, but you learn.î Morcomb explained.
Arlan Henderson and Morcomb built the walls.
Doris Henderson took charge of feeding the work crews, and did so on 85 different occasions.
There were other acts of kindness. For example, workers first used scaffolding when they were putting up sheetrock. It was extremely slow and hard going, Morcomb said. So Hoskins Electric, who did the electrical work on the project, loaned them a hydraulic electric power-lift. ìThat saved us a weekís work and some more broken backs,î Morcomb said. They used it for painting and taping too.
ìHe (Bill Hoskins) said, ëKeep it as long as you want,íî Morcomb said. The church took Bill up on the offer and used it for two months.
Workers also did some repairs on the church itself. They put on a new front door, and in the process found a rotten sill underneath, so they jacked up the front and put in a new sill.
The sides of the church were buckling a bit too from the scissors-type rafters, so workers crawled up into the attic and converted them to trusses so they wouldnít move anymore.
Air-conditioning was added to the church too.
No debt from project
Another amazing thing about the $155,000 project is that the congregation wonít have to borrow any money for it. That sits well with some of the older, conservative members who were a bit leery of the project. The church had some money in the bank. ìWeíve gotten huge financial support,î Morcomb. About $27,000 even came from non-members and former members.
And all that volunteer labor saved about $100,000, according to the churchís insurance company.
Looney Valley Lutheran is a landmark in its namesake valley, just off County Road 9 north of Houston.
The wide, rolling landscape is as pretty a spot in the world, and the church with its white spire nestled against a hill matches that beauty.
The first thing you notice about the 40x70-foot addition on the north side of the building is that you donít notice it. Thatís probably because it was built into the hillside. Part of the hill was cut away. The excavated material was used to raise the roads to the church.
The addition seems to belong to the church, which was built in 1898. It didnít change the integrity of the building at all, even though the approach to the front entrance has changed. The road was raised so that everything is on one level on the north side. That will make it easier for people who have trouble with steps, and for carrying coffins at funerals.
Morcomb is a retired mechanical engineer with IBM in Rochester. He grew up on a farm in Ridgeway, and moved back to the Money Creek area six years ago.
As our conversation wound down on March 2, Morcomb said with pride that the church is growing. About 17 new members joined last year, he said.
Pastor is pleased
Much of that growth can be attributed to Pastor Jeff Forbes, Morcomb feels. Forbes is a good church leader and is involved in the community too, Morcomb said.
Forbes, 47, came to the church after the congregation had voted to start the project. He said he was pleased with how well things went together. ìThere was just a real good feeling of camaraderie with everybody involved,î he said. ìI didnít have to worry about the building process. They had things in hand and I could do what I was called to do.î
ìWeíve got a lot of possibility here,î Forbes said. ìAnd they want to do stuff together. I kid them that the coffee hour after churchþ is kind of like a second service.
ìI like to teach because I like to learn,î he added. ìThis fellowship hall is just a fantastic place to do that. I kind of told them, ëYou build it and Iíll make sure itís used.íî
Forbes said that as a pastor, heís never seen a congregation work so well together on such a large project. ìI was very impressed and my colleagues are too,î he said. ìIíve very pleased to be here.î
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