Lakewood Baptist Church of Gainesville opened its renovated worship center on Sunday.
According to a press release from the church, the worship center includes a permanent baptistry, wraparound seating for 1,200 church guests and an enclosed plaza for overflow seating. Lakewood Baptist Church also updated its sound and video systems, added digital interactive screens and included a lighted cross tower.
Interior renovations are complete, but the church is still updating the building’s exterior.
Lakewood Baptist Church’s previous worship center was constructed in 2000. Crocker and Brewster were the architects for the new building, and Tipton Construction served as the general contractors.
Lakewood’s deacon team ministry leader, Yale Moore, said the church completed the project debt-free.
“We give God the glory for all He has done,” Moore said. “By God’s grace and the generosity of His people at Lakewood, we are moving into this new worship center on time and completing the project completely debt-free.”
The church was chartered in 1956 and has 2,137 members. Lakewood Baptist Church has a full-time ministry staff who serve in a variety of discipleship missions and counseling ministries.
“Lakewood is blessed in so many ways,” senior pastor Dr. Tyler Smiley said. “We acknowledge the renovation is the Lord’s work in our midst as we serve Him locally, nationally and globally. As we carry forward the strong ministry legacy from the leadership of our former senior pastor, Dr. Tom Smiley, and from the faithful who have gone before us in this ministry, we commit ourselves to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in our own generation, and we pray this center will be a blessing for future generations where the gospel is made known until the Lord returns.”
