At the end of Thursday, New Life Church will be constructed at 501 N. Buck Creek Road in Cumberland, and the congregation can move into the new building.

Between 200 and 300 volunteers from around the state will spend the day assembling the church.

Yes, that’s right. It’s all done in one day.

Subcontractor Steven Northcutt received help from his own crew and 10 students in a new construction class at Sandy Creek Christian Academy in Seymour in building the walls, door headers and door bucks for the new church.

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All of the materials will be delivered to Cumberland on the county line between Marion and Hancock counties east of Indianapolis so volunteers can begin working Thursday morning.

Since 1997, United Pentecostal Church International’s Church in a Day program has resulted in more than 100 churches being constructed.

The Cumberland project is the 37th Church in a Day Northcutt has been involved with, including the ninth in Indiana.

“It’s a good adrenaline rush whenever you get going,” Northcutt said of the daylong project. “It’s a lot of fun. I love being a part of it. I really enjoy it.”

Members of The Tabernacle in Seymour have helped with all nine Indiana projects, and they also have traveled to other states, including Ohio and New Jersey, to help with builds.

Northcutt said more than 50 Tabernacle members are involved with the Cumberland project. That includes the superintendent, painter, framer, roofer and electrician and the men who will do trim and flooring. Siding and plumbing work also has been donated.

There will be a rotating schedule throughout the day where volunteers will be helping with various tasks with the project.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie in it,” Northcutt said. “You get to know people that you didn’t know before with the other churches in the district.”

Volunteers also include people from other states who either have helped with past builds or have one coming up.

“Guys come from other states to know what to do with the project in their state,” Northcutt said. “You’ll have other guys that come just because if their state is not doing it, they want to come and be a part of it, too.”

The program helps a licensed United Pentecostal Church International church go from a storefront to a church building in a 24-hour time period.

The assembly must have land and the means for putting in a foundation, and then Church in a Day works with the pastor to make sure permit and legal requirements are in order for a build to begin.

Volunteer craftsmen and laborers are sought to assist with the project. The volunteer labor saves a congregation money.

The cost for each building varies due to location, codes, weather and availability of materials. Some costs are the responsibility of the church.

The North American Missions Division offers special loan programs to assist with certain aspects of the project.

The 2,856-square-foot worship center in Cumberland will include a sanctuary, three classrooms, two bathrooms, an office and a baptistery. It will be equipped with a sound system, pews and landscaping and will seat more than 100 people.

“We want a good, quality building when we’re done,” Northcutt said.

Local students have been involved with past Church in a Day events, but this year is different because a construction class at Sandy Creek Christian Academy just recently started, and students at the school were able to help with work before construction day.

Northcutt said Misty Arrowood, the school’s administrator, asked him earlier this year if he would be interested in teaching the new class. That wound up coinciding with the Church in a Day project.

They spent about an hour at the end of three school days putting together materials that will be used.

Seniors Drew Mains and Matthew Arrowood have been involved in past Church in a Day projects. Both said they were glad they enrolled in the construction class because it gave them an opportunity to help even more.

“Being able to be a part of Church in a Day is incredible. Me and him both have gone to Church in a Days. We’ve helped out and done what we can,” Arrowood said. “But it’s awesome to actually be a part of the construction and being able to see that.”

Arrowood said construction is one of several new class options for students this school year.

“It’s cool to be able to work with a professional and see how it all works,” he said, referring to Northcutt.

Mains said when he first heard about the construction class, he immediately knew he wanted to be part of it.

“I actually talked to my uncle right before this season of construction, and I was like, ‘Hey, do you think you could teach me some more about framing?'” Mains said. “Then I heard we were doing this class this year, so I was really excited to take this class and learn some more about general framing and construction and woodworking.”

Arrowood said it has been a positive experience for the class to help with Church in a Day.

“It’s great to see a bunch of Christian men get together and learn how to build and build up these walls for a church (where) people are going to get saved and people are going to find something new in Christ,” he said.

Arrowood and Mains will be joined by classmate Quincey Coffey in traveling to Cumberland to help in whatever way they can.

They said they can’t wait to see the finished product.

“It feels even better to be able to drive past the church if you ever do and just be able to say, ‘I was a part of building up that church, and I got to be a part of it the entire time, and I have an integral part of doing it,'” Arrowood said.

“When you see it done, it’s awesome,” Mains said. “It’s just cool to go there and say, ‘Wow! I can’t believe this was built in a day.'”

Once Church in a Day is completed, Northcutt said he would like the class to learn about woodworking, metal and welding.

“They do a convention every year in the spring, so (students) want to do projects for that,” he said. “I’m going to kind of make my class around what their projects are going to be.”

Northcutt said the goal of the class is to teach students to have a good work ethic, no matter what profession they get into after high school.

“That’s what Sister Arrowood wanted me to do is also trying to teach them work ethic so they are going to be a valuable employee,” he said.

Another possibility for the class is to do a building project as a fundraiser so tools and materials can be purchased for students to use.

“If we can turn around and sell (that building) and make $1,000, that’s a lot of tools,” Northcutt said.

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For information about Church in a Day, visit ciad.us.

For information about United Pentecostal Church International, visit upci.org.

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