By Mary O’KEEFE

On Sunday, members of the First Baptist Church of La Crescenta held a groundbreaking ceremony for their new courtyard. The courtyard will be a welcoming entrance to the church and a gathering place for the community.
The congregation had discussed a new courtyard for years. Since being built in the 1960, the entrance to the church has been off La Crescenta Avenue.
“[Since we] opened the parking lot, everyone [now uses] the back door off Mary Street as our front door, “ said Pastor Bill Flanders. The courtyard will better define the main entrance for the church.

The congregation, along with the many other organizations that meet at the church, are prepared for the six to eight weeks of construction.

“There will be quite a bit of re-routing, “ Flanders said.

But the result will be well worth it. The hope, Flanders said, is that the courtyard attract the community as well.

“We will do paving to an area of 9,000 square feet; almost 6,000 square feet will be courtyard,” said Larry Battin, the church’s facilities manager.

“There will be built-in benches,” Flanders said. “We are hoping it will be a community gathering place in a unique outdoor space.”

The courtyard will cost about $146,000, all of which has been raised by the First Baptist congregation.

If everything goes as scheduled, there will be a Christmas courtyard ribbon cutting.