By Whitley Kilcrease

Fresh starts and new beginnings can be exciting and inspiring.

For a local church in Troy, completion of recent relocation projects will mark the end of one “beginning” and signal the start of a new one.

“We want to be a good steward of our church and of what God has given us,” Chris Story, pastor of New Beginning, said. “That includes looks too.”

According to Story, New Beginning was formerly known as First Assembly and has been present in Troy since the 1940s. The church recently underwent a name change when the congregation relocated to its current site, indicating a fresh start for members and the church’s forward progress.

Story said the parking lot and landscaping projects are final touches on the new building that was completed in September 2009.

“Construction started a couple of years ago,” Story said. “Now we’re working on the parking lot and landscaping around the building to update the exterior of the church.”

According to Story, crews have been ready to start construction on the parking lot project for almost four weeks but have been delayed due to recent weather.

“This is something God has blessed us with and trusts us to be good stewards of,” Story said. “That includes giving, upkeep and everything else.”

According to Robert Floyd, owner of Floyd Construction, crews began work Monday on a parking lot for New Beginning Assembly of God located on Henderson Highway.

Floyd said construction should be completed in seven to 10 days, depending on weather situations. Members of the church were previously parking on the grassy area in front of the new facilities.

Story has been in full-time ministry for more than 11 years and is familiar with church construction projects. He was assistant pastor during the construction of new facilities for Ozark First Assembly of God.

“People form opinions about your church before they ever step foot in the building,” Story said. “We want the outside of the church to reflect and look as good as what’s going on inside.”

New Beginning also plans to host a “giving drive” within the next few weeks to help with funding on this project, as well as others. Story said the purpose of the drive was to challenge members of the congregation to give and be good stewards of the church.

“We wanted to wait until the parking lot was actually completed before holding the drive,” Smith said. “Now that we were able to start today, we’ll get started on those plans immediately.”

According to New Beginning’s Facebook page, the church is hosting a fish fry on July 28 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. to benefit the men’s. The menu will consist of catfish fillets, two sides, hush puppies, desert and a drink. Tickets are $8 per plate and patrons are invited to eat at the church, or pick up a plate to take home.

For more information, contact the church office at 566-1835.