Murfreesboro First United Methodist Church
Owner: Murfreesboro First United Methodist Church
Location: Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Project Scope: Two-story addition and new columbarium
Dow Smith Company was asked to return to Murfreesboro First United Methodist Church to construct a new 2-story addition on the southeast side of the church. Originally, there was no handicapped accessibility to the second floor of the church which was an issue because the youth room was upstairs. The new hallway provides that access and also allows access to a fellowship gathering area for the Traditional Service without interrupting the Modern Service which is held in the Family Life Center at the same time.
Beside giving a great facelift to the south and east side of the church, a columbarium was constructed which will allow the ministry to offer placement of the ashes of departed over ones in lieu of cemetery burial.
All construction was completed in the middle of a very busy church, so safety issues and project coordination were a high priority. Regular communication was required between our site superintendent and the staff at the church so daily ministry activities were not interrupted.
“We already had great experience working with Dow. And like we expected, they did a great job. Their communication with us was excellent. We met weekly with them and the architect to find out the progress and what’s next. In a very busy church like this one, it’s so important to know what’s going on so we can turn around and communicate with our congregation.””
Twelve years ago, when Dow Smith’s son was playing football for Smyrna High School, they walked into an opposing team’s weight room and Dow was impressed by the facility and all of the things that were available to that team’s players. But he also had a chip on his shoulder because he didn’t understand why the athletes at Smyrna High didn’t have everything they needed to be successful.