Bountiful’s Progress

Bountiful’s Progress

By Megan Romer

Volume 19, Number 3 Sep/Oct/Nov/Dec 2018 Issue No. 76

For the past nine years, the Bountiful property has been farmed by the same farmer, alternating corn and soybeans each year. Due to the placement of the homes and concerns by some families of pesticides used on the crops, it has been increasingly difficult for the farmer to continue to plant the entire property. This summer, the original farmer planted corn on 70 acres, and Bountiful partnered with a new family, the Halls, a father and son team who live close by in Oak Grove. The Halls planted 12 acres of non-GMO corn and 20 acres of millet hay. In the fall, the Halls will plant orchard grass and brome which grow for several years and can have multiple harvests/cuts.

This year, three new families completed the building of their homes and moved in at Bountiful: Trevor and Allison Purvis and children Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Zachary in February; Brian and Anne Sisk and children Isabel, Robert, and Arianna in May; and Tyler and Emily Kreutner and children James and Elodie in August.

Last summer Kevin and Lois Romer built a playground near their pond, and it has become a favorite gathering spot for the neighborhood kids. Water balloon fights, hunting for frogs, and just playing together are enjoyed there frequently.

We have been fortunate at Bountiful to enjoy a safehaven of which many do not get to partake. Our children ride their bikes around the community, the boys enjoy fishing in the pond, and we get the joy of helping to take care of our neighbors. Neighbors can often be found gardening together, chopping firewood, or moving animal fences together. It is always uplifting to walk or drive around the neighborhood and wave at everyone you see.

We have grown so much closer to each other as a result of living in a close community, and not only attending church together. We have the blessing of being a part of each other’s everyday lives.  Many people in the church treasure this sacred place, and we are blessed to call it home.

Marci Damon started a women’s scripture study class that meets on selected Monday nights in her home. Anne Sisk started a carpooling rotation so that four families’ children all get to ride to school together.

We were fortunate to be able to incorporate the stained glass windows from the Iowa church building, which were identified for use in our new building by Gary Argotsinger. Some of the work to complete the church was done by church members, including Craig Purvis of Oelwein, Iowa, who hung the siding, and Brian Williams (from the community) who installed the HVAC system. Not only those who live here, but many in the church have been able to put their personal touches into the building, such as the organ from Bill and Agie McCurry, the wooden signs by Roger Tracy, and various other donations.

The building consists of a foyer with restrooms, three classrooms (with one doubling as a nursery), and a sanctuary with seating for up to 125 people. Many from the community gathered the Wednesday and Saturday before the first service was held to clean the building, set out chairs, and prepare classrooms. We had our first service inside our new church building on the 10th of June. A formal dedication service was held on September 9th, which also marked the 10th anniversary of purchasing the property.

We always enjoy seeing friendly faces, from visiting ministers to fellow church members who drive out to just take a look, and we can’t wait to share our new building with you!