Christ the King Church launched a $3-million capital capital in October to upgrade the church.
Committee member Anna Perry said the needs of the church would be addressed through the renovations. As a wife and mother of two young daughters, she said the church was important to her family after they moved to Fort Smith.
“I looked for a church home and found it in Christ the King,” she said. “We got married here; my husband was confirmed here, and my two daughters were baptized here.”
Looking toward the future, she said the flat, ballasted roof would be replaced by a shallow-sloped roof to provide better drainage.
“If we don’t replace it next year, it will eventually come down,” she said.
Exterior panels will be replaced, and the exterior will be repainted. The 30-year-old HVAC system will be replaced as well.
Pastor Father Brian Cundall said he has a theological perspective on the renovations and beautification project.
“You are the Church, the people of God, and that’s more important than a nice building,” he said. “But we encounter Christ in church, and it’s good to have a beautiful atmosphere in a spiritual and physical sense. Our faith invites us not to be passengers but active participants in this effort, for now and for the future.”
The church, built in 1972, was designed by an architect strongly influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, and interior renovations will add some traditional elements to the contemporary structure. Casey Hargrave and Ret Taylor, principals of the firm designing the renovation, are Christ the King School alumni and active parishioners.
Father Cundall, whose father owns a construction firm in Little Rock, said he also gained practical knowledge and experience of construction working summers in his father’s business as a young man.
“Most churches have blue ceilings with stars representing the heavens,” he said. “We will add a domed ceiling, accommodated by the new sloped roof. Looking upwards, we see the church as a meeting of heaven and earth, an encounter with God. Looking forward, we see Jesus in the Eucharist.”
The renovations will also include new, lighter tile floors with carpeting by the pews, refinished pews, new lighting and the addition of windows around the side entrance to provide more natural lighting.
The church will add a second columbarium as the existing columbarium is almost full. It will be on the opposite side of the church and be built more efficiently, allowing for almost twice as many niches to serve the community in the future.
Daniel Levesque, a representative of Guidance in Giving, said pledges may be paid off over the course of three years, with options to donate appreciated stock or withdraw a donation from an IRA. At least 80 percent of the $2.4 million must be raised before construction can begin. If the goal is met, construction of the new roof will begin in the summer of 2025. During construction, Masses will be held in the parish center. A contingency has been written into the budget to account for possible inflation, Levesque said.
Levesque said the official campaign kickoff will be in mid-November. He said he hopes parishioners attending the kickoff receptions will discuss the project with their friends and serve as ambassadors.
“The theme of our capital campaign is ‘Our Church, Our Future,’” Father Cundall said. “Recognizing our history, serving our present parishioners and thinking of the legacy we will leave for future generations will make us co-workers with Jesus and hopefully strengthen our community.”
