By Marty Gordon
A house is described as a structure with four walls and a roof. A Christiansburg church took this idea to the next step Sunday when they built walls and flooring for a new home to be assembled at Eagle’s Nest in Floyd County.
An estimated 137 interior and exterior walls were framed and sheeted over three hours by more than 200 volunteers.
Pastor Will Fillingham, who has been at the Bridge for eight years, is a former carpenter and welder and believes this project was perfect for his congregation.
“This house is being donated to Eagles Nest Men’s Regeneration Home to create housing for 10 more men to discover Christ and rediscover life,” Fillngham said.
This is the second time the church has taken a Sunday service off to build a home. Last year, the Bridge assembled a home for an area single mother.
“Every year, we do something similar to serve our community. Our motto is that if our city has a problem, then our church has a problem,” the pastor said.
In the past, similar projects have included landscaping at a Christiansburg elementary school and shelving at the local library.
This year, according to Fillingham, they wanted to step up and help Eagles Nest Regeneration (ENR), which helps men who are lost in alcohol or drug addiction and have a sincere desire to change. Information on ENR’s website says, “Chemical addiction is a lonely and hopeless place that has devastating effects not only to the addict but to his loved ones as well.”
Robbie and Toni Maddox moved to the New River Valley in 2004 after personally undergoing a similar program in Florida.
“We felt it was needed here and opened the facility in Floyd and Christiansburg,” Robbie Maddox said Sunday while watching the construction work.
He called the church’s work an amazing support both spiritually and financially. “The Bridge is amazing. They have and continue to do so much for us,” he said.
The additional housing, Maddox said, is a fulfillment of the couple’s vision when they located here. The overall plan is to build five more houses on the 20-acre site in Floyd.
“When we heard that, we volunteered (here at the Bridge) to build the first one,” Fillingham said.
All of the walls that were built on Sunday will be transported by truck to the Floyd site and assembled within a month.
“A concrete foundation is waiting for the walls, so we are excited about what is about to happen. We have run out of beds [at Eagle’s Nest] and this will help so much,” Maddox concluded.
The Bridge part of the project cost $12,000.
To learn more about Eagle’s Nest, go to www.enrm.org.
For more information on activities at The Bridge, go to www.bridgefamily.church.
