The Collegedale Seventh-day Adventist Church is celebrating its 100th birthday with a program of stories of how God has led in the past and embracing the future by breaking ground on a new three-story addition to the church. A meal for 3,000+ church members and guests will be served in a large tent between the church services and the groundbreaking ceremony.
This event on Saturday, April 22, is free and open to the public. The church and Southern Adventist University grew together, and university students are especially encouraged to attend, and all are encouraged to wear period attire of the first world war era.
Two 100-minute programs will be presented at 9am and 11am, re-creating the way the church began in 1917 with a procession of horse drawn carts coming from Graysville, taking five days and three ferry trips across the Tennessee River to make the 40 mile trip. The baptism in Wolftever Creek marking the official beginning of the church was re-enacted and will be part of the story told in video, music, and drama. The milestones - or miracles - of the past 100 years will be highlighted.
Following the first service, the Gym-masters of Southern Adventist University will begin serving a "haystack" (or taco salad) meal in a huge tent with seating for 800.
The ground breaking ceremony for a major 3-story addition will be held at 3:00 pm near the front entrance of the church at 4829 College Drive East in Collegedale. The ground floor of the addition will provide space for the Church's Day Care program called Kiddie Kampus. The middle floor with a balcony will have meeting rooms, a catering kitchen, and classrooms for adults. The top floor will provide addition classrooms for children's study classes.
Children are invited to bring shovels to help with the groundbreaking for their new classrooms, and adults are invited to bring lawn chairs for the program, which will include former pastors, elected officials, community leaders, veterans, and church administrators with detailed information on the new addition.
If you have questions about the event, please contact Joyce Dick by text or phone at 423-364-9270.