After residing for more than 35 years at the Kingdom Hall located on West Fourth Street, an increase in membership contributed to the need for a new building for the Jehovah's Witnesses.
"The old facility was just too small and we needed a bigger place to conduct services for our English and Spanish congregations," explained Dave Callender, a publisher with the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Jehovah's Witnesses are members of an international, religious organization that takes its name from Isaiah 43:12: "You are my witnesses, says Jehovah, and I am God." Founded in the 1870s in the United States by Charles Taze Russell, official membership now stands at over 6 million. Members, referred to as publishers, are known for their preaching and publishing activities, with "The Watchtower" and "Awake!" among its most widely known publications.
The presence of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Sioux City dates back to 1915. According to Callender, the three congregations have seen tremendous growth over the years, especially among Spanish-speaking members.
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"We had been thinking about a new building for at least five years prior to the decision to go ahead with construction," Callender said. "With the increase in the Spanish and English congregations, the old Kingdom Hall on West Fourth was just not meeting our needs."
Callender, a member of the building committee, explained other sites and other properties were examined, but the congregation very much wanted to stay on the far west side of town by War Eagle's grave. Ground was broken at the end of July 2004 and immediately concrete work began.
"My brother and I headed up the concrete team, since we both do that type of work," said Callender, whose day job is with Klinger Construction.
In no time the foundation, floor, parking lot and sidewalk were all in place, thanks to the efforts of numerous volunteers. The Sioux City congregation then approached the Iowa Regional Building Committee for its assistance with construction of the building.
With a cadre of about 600 volunteers from Siouxland and other parts of the state, assembly on the building started about noon Thursday and was completed late Sunday night the first weekend of October 2004. Volunteers skilled in electrical work, plumbing, roofing, landscaping and faux painting, joined forces to complete the necessary work.
Callender called that weekend "an absolute joy" to see so many "brothers and sisters" giving of themselves and the reaction of the passers-by to the activity on War Eagle Drive.
"We had a lot of people stop that weekend because the Iowa Regional Building Committee set up a 'shed' where the volunteers were fed," he said. "It was somewhat comical, because some folks thought the shed was the building and were amazed it went up that quickly."
The new building, located at 4130 War Eagle Drive, includes an auditorium that seats 230 people, two classrooms, an office, mothers' room, common area and several utility rooms, as well as ample parking space. The first church service was held in November 2004.
An open house for the Sioux City house of worship was held July 16, 2005. That Sunday the congregations hosted dedication programs in both English and Spanish. John Mark Lucas of Wallkill, N.Y., a former member of the English congregation, was the guest dedication speaker.
"The best part of this new building is now we have room for our English and Spanish brothers and sisters to worship," said Callender.
Sundays have three meetings or services - 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Spanish, and 1 p.m. English. Other meetings are 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, English; and Spanish at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
For more details on the Jehovah's Witnesses, call presiding overseer Clifford Mehrer at (712) 233-1004 or visit the organization's Web site, http://www.watchtower.org.
