Tracy Sims, minister of Central Baptist Church in Thornton, stands in front of the old sanctuary building that will be transformed into a fellowship hall next week. A group of volunteers -- Volunteer Christian Builders -- will begin arriving this weekend to help with the project. Journal photo/David Stone A volunteer construction crew will start work Monday transforming the old sanctuary at Central Baptist Church into a fellowship hall, church minister Tracy Sims said last week.

Sims said the building will be expanded and the new fellowship hall will include kitchen facilities.

"We hope to put in an audio/ video system so we can use the building for educational programs as well as for entertainment such as movies," he said. "And with the kitchen, we'll be able to use the building for church meals."

The new building also will be used for wedding receptions, anniversaries and parties, he said.

Members of Central Baptist have been busy preparing the building for the construction project. Members of the volunteer organization -- Volunteer Christian Builders -- will begin arriving over the weekend and will start work Feb. 16.

Sims said about 12 volunteers will be coming and will stay about a week.

"They come in RV's," Sims said. "We just have to feed them."

The volunteers helped build the church's new sanctuary about a year-and-a-half ago. The project paved the way for the old sanctuary to be converted into the fellowship hall.

Sims said the volunteer workers won't complete the project. Central Baptist church members will put on the finishing touches and install cabinets.

Although the volunteer group will be providing labor for the renovation, the church will supply all building materials.

"This is a great group and they do good work," Sims said. "It's amazing what a group of retirees can accomplish."

According to information provided by Mark Martin, a member of Volunteer Christian Builders, the group started in 1963 when a small Colorado church asked a group of friends to help construct a building. About a half dozen families responded to the call.

Today, Volunteer Christian Builders has more than 2,000 members. They are united by the desire to help small Southern Baptist congregations build churches they could not afford without volunteer labor.