Nick Bradley
Nick Bradley
Benjie Maxson
Members of Highland Church in Portland, Tenn., gathered August 9, 2025, for a symbolic note burning ceremony, celebrating the payoff of a nearly $800,000 mortgage taken out to remodel the church’s sanctuary, kitchen, restrooms, and other facilities.
The event marked the end of a years-long project that began in July of 2016, when church leaders discovered some building issues while considering an expansion. Instead of building new classrooms and fellowship hall, the congregation voted to repair and update the existing structure.
“We realized it would not be responsible to go into this [expansion] project with all of these issues still needing to be taken care of,” said Roger Schmidt, former senior pastor and now a member at Highland Church. “We needed to take care of the house we had before we built another one.”
Church members organized a construction committee. Rather than hire a general contractor, the congregation divided the responsibilities among themselves, managing scheduling, purchasing, and oversight of construction. That decision alone saved the church about 25% of project costs.
In addition, volunteers contributed hundreds of hours of labor. The sanctuary was gutted and rebuilt with new pews, carpet, lighting, and a redesigned stage. The restrooms and kitchen were also overhauled, parking lots were repaired, and even drainage and structural issues were addressed. For months, worship services were moved to the nearby elementary school gym, while crews of volunteers worked through the summer. Construction was finally completed in September 2018.
Nick Bradley, a longtime member, said the project not only improved the church’s facilities, but also strengthened the congregation.
“Probably the biggest blessing was the way that everybody worked together,” said Bradley. “Everybody just came together and added what they could… We had obstacles, but prayer and teamwork saw us through.”
At the start of the renovation, church leaders worried about finances. The budget was running on a deficit, and taking on an $800,000 loan seemed daunting.
“Our church budget was in the red,” said Bradley. “But as a matter of prayer and commitment, members restructured their finances in a way not only to get our budget in the black, but also to pay off three-quarters of a million dollars.”
According to Schmidt, the note burning ceremony served as a celebration and a reminder of what can be accomplished when a congregation remains faithful to God.
“Each generation needs to make a contribution and leave the ministries and facilities in better shape than they found them,” said Schmidt. “My biggest hope is that we utilize what we have here and use it to do evangelism, bring the community in, and just share God’s love and God’s grace.”
Georgia-Cumberland | November 2025
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