Faith in Action: New church sanctuary

A Plant City church with a lot of history is opening up it's brand new sanctuary. The beautiful new structure didn't come without plenty of blood, sweat, and tears.

Volunteers from the group USMaps built the new church from the ground up.

"These are mostly retired men and women who give of their time and energy and talents and funding to come and build a church," volunteer Mark Rittermeyer said.

They supply the labor and the church pays for the materials. 17,000 man hours were donated to answer the prayers of a congregation that was busting at the seams.

"We were in a fellowship hall just behind this building. We squeezed in as many as we could and tried to make the best of it but it wasn't the best situation, that's for sure," Pastor Joe Zaino said.

After three years time, the fifty or so volunteers who helped during snowbird season are finally finished. They built more than just walls during their time there.

"We become a part of the congregation. They consider us part of the church," Rittermeyer said.

Pastor Zaino says the volunteers saved them upwards of $300,000.

"We couldn't have done it without them. They were the instrument that God used to see this building come to pass," he said.

It's an emotional experience for volunteers who saw it from start to finish.

"The culmination of a lot of prayer, a lot of godly men and women who say 'I'm not just going to sit in a rocking chair. I'm going to use my talents.' And this is the proof," Rittermeyer said.

Pleasant Grove Assembly of God will host their dedication service Sunday at 10:45am.  They're located on Turkey Creek Road in Plant City.