MCDAVID–Grateful for the vision and sacrifices of previous generations that built 135-year-old Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church in McDavid, today’s church leaders agree that now “it’s our turn … to provide a place” to reach future generations with the hope of the gospel.

“We realize that north of Pensacola will be a hub for growth over the next two decades, and we want to be ready for what God is doing in Northwest Florida,” said Grant Norris, pastor of Ray’s Chapel.

After decades of faithfulness to prayer and giving, Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church embarked on a building project to better serve the needs of the congregation and growing community in Northwest Florida.

The new worship center was dedicated in May with a service attended by former interim pastor Dale Patterson and former pastor Don Coker, as well as the president of the construction company for the building project. During the service, the congregation worshipped and prayed with a commitment to keeping Christ the focus. Afterward, church members and guests enjoyed a fellowship meal.

Through the generous giving of church members and additional support from Christian Investors Financial, the new worship center now comfortably seats more than 300 and is built with a phase two plan for additional seating as the community grows.

In addition to more space, the worship center is equipped with new technology for improved sound and acoustics for hearing the Word of God and praising the Lord. A dangerous situation in which a county road separated the parking area from the church was also remedied with a new, larger lighted parking lot adjacent to the worship center.

“We feel it’s our turn, for our generation, to provide a place for the generations that follow us to have a place in the McDavid community for years to come or until the Lord returns,” said Marcus Digmon, chairman of trustees for Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church. He has been a part of Ray’s Chapel, where his father pastored in the 1970s, for about 50 years.

Carrying on a legacy of community engagement, the church will use the expanded space for activities including food drives, disaster relief, backpack distribution for school children, sports ministry and vacation Bible school.

The older facilities will still be used for offices, classrooms and meeting spaces for smaller groups.

Ray’s Chapel, known as “the little white church on Bogia Road,” is rich with history, dating back to 1890 when the church was planted. Founding pastor and namesake, Henry Green Berry Ray, and 10 charter members paved the way for the church to become part of the Pensacola Bay Baptist Association in 1908.

“We are deeply grateful for the faithfulness of our congregation and community partners. This new worship center is not just a building but a beacon of hope and a place where lives will be transformed through Christ. The church will always be the people of God gathered, not the physical building, but we do pray that we utilize what God has given us so that He gets all the glory,” Norris said.