An all-volunteer group of Jehovah's Witnesses took less than two weeks to construct a new Kingdom Hall near West El Camino del Cerro and North Silverbell Road.
"The hall is pretty well finished," volunteer Ernie Thompson said. "All the vertical (construction) took 11 days."
Thompson, who lives in Oro Valley, will attend religious services in the new hall, 4729 N. Silverbell Road, when it opens sometime in early July.
It's known as the Tucson Mountain Congregation and will accommodate English- and Spanish-speaking congregations in a 5,000-square-foot building that has a large open hall, two small rooms, a conference room and restrooms. A Chinese-speaking group of Jehovah's Witnesses also will share the hall, Thompson said.
"We are just about there," Thompson said about the new hall. "There's just some odds and ends that have to be done."
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Thompson helped with the floors.
The parking lot was paved last week and some landscaping still needs to be completed, Thompson said.
Thompson and the other volunteers are part of a Regional Building Committee dedicated to building Kingdom Halls.
There are committees all over the world and two serve the state of Arizona.
The building committee that worked on the North Silverbell Road location is responsible for all of the new Kingdom Halls built south of Casa Grande.
The other Arizona building committee builds all of the halls north of Casa Grande.
The hall near El Camino del Cerro and Silverbell Road had as many as 330 volunteers working on it one recent Saturday.
Most of the work was completed on two separate Saturdays because volunteers work during the week and some came from different parts of the state.
All fields of construction are represented at build days.
"We have the brothers and the skill level," said Dewey Mosher, who is the chairmen of the committee that represents the southern part of the state. "They are here to help. We just have to ask for it."
Mosher, who lives in Eloy, has been involved in builds since 2002 and handles administrative duties.
The building committee also is responsible for maintenance and remodeling existing Kingdom Halls.
Mosher and Thompson said they have seen area congregations grow.
At least one Kingdom Hall will be built in Sierra Vista, if not two, and the building committee is looking to build near Downtown Tucson, Mosher said.
Vail also is being considered as a location for a new Kingdom Hall, Mosher said.
In all, there are 75 congregations south of Casa Grande and some 33 Kingdom Halls, Mosher said.
In addition to the free labor, Kingdom Halls are funded solely through the contributions of members.
Mosher said he doesn't know what it cost to build the newest hall, but he said the grand total is usually 50 percent less than what it would have cost if the labor wasn't donated.
Tucson Mountain Congregation's new hall has 260 chairs but could hold more people if necessary, Thompson said.
"It will hold 325 with no problem at all," he said.
At a glance
What: A new Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall for its Tucson Mountain Congregation
Address: 4729 N. Silverbell Road.
Targeted opening: early July.
Building size: 5,000 square feet
By the numbers
11
days it took to construct the building
75
number of congregations south of Casa Grande
33
number of Kingdom Halls south of Casa Grande
