Members of the Pleasant Beach Baptist Church congregation left a mark of their legacy last weekend by taking permanent markers to the metal frame of their upcoming new building and writing messages.

Pastor Mark Fowler said the church-goers got to write passages from the Bible, comforting prayers, or even messages of support from local sports teams.

“They are part of the building now,” Fowler said.

For those who were not able to come, either due to illness or other responsibilities, Fowler said those members got to sign a piece of metal beforehand, which they then fastened to the frame of the building.

The metal signing comes during a period of expansion for the church. Currently nestled on 108 Pleasant Beach Road in Elizabethton, the church’s new complex is currently under construction after an anonymous donor gave the church several acres of land nearby.

For people who go to the church now, Fowler said an event like this is something future church-goers will only hear or read about.

He compared it to the biblical story of crossing the Jordan River in the book of Joshua.

“It is our generation’s responsibility to carry the truth,” he said.

In this regard, the metal signing was more than the equivalent of writing “love you” messages on a park bench. It was a way for the church to record part of its history in the walls.

“The church started with two or three families,” Fowler said. “We built the auditorium in the ’70s and then the auditorium in the ’80s. We cannot grow anymore where we are.”

He said the event was a way of recognizing their blessings as they have continued down the journey God laid out before them.

“God has shown himself at every step of the way,” Fowler said. “We are excited about the future of the church.”

He said many church members have not just been giving verbal support. Many of them are volunteering to assist in the construction itself.

“Every step of the way, God has sent the right people,” he said.

For Fowler, the progress and the metal signing is a symbol of what true leadership is like.

“It is one thing to have personal faith,” he said. “It is another to lead a group of people to have faith.”

As for the project, Fowler said any estimates on completion are dependant on how quickly they can install the roof, so the project will not be so weather dependant, though he said he has been told some time in February.