Updated Thursday, March 06, 2008

Personnel influx about to flood Fayetteville area

By Steve DeVane

BR Managing Editor

FAYETTEVILLE - Baptists around Fort Bragg are working to determine how best to respond to an expected influx of thousands of soldiers and their families in the next several years.

The changes are related to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) law passed by Congress in 2005. The legislation calls for the Army's Forces Command and the Army Reserve Command to move from Fort McPherson in Georgia to Fort Bragg.

The moves are expected to bring more than 4,600 active duty soldiers and their families to Fort Bragg. Hundreds of contractors are also expected to come to the area.

In all, about 25,600 people are expected to move to the area by 2013. That would be adding a city the size of Garner or Statesville to Fayetteville, already the sixth largest North Carolina city. Most of the population growth is expected in Cumberland, Harnett and Hoke counties, but other nearby counties will also see growth.

Frank White, a consultant on the Baptist State Convention's church planting team, called meetings in November and December 2007 of directors of missions, associational staff members, church planters and pastors in the 11 affected counties to help strategize response to the sudden and massive influx.

Participants got an overview of BRAC and heard from military chaplains about coming changes in the region.

White said 35 to 40 churches need to be planted in the area by September 2011 to handle the expected growth.

"We still need dozens of churches," he said.

White said participants also talked about how existing churches can help minister to military families.

Dan Deaton, director of missions in the Little River Baptist Association in Harnett County, said the military influx will change the area. Existing churches will need to learn to be more welcoming of newcomers.

"BRAC is going to totally rearrange the furniture in our house down here," he said.

Local associations are planning a training session for churches interested in reaching out to military families, Deaton said. The meeting, similar to one held in Lillington last year, is scheduled for May 22 at Jonesboro Heights Baptist Church in Sanford.

David Oyster, who provides demographic information for churches in the Little River Association and other areas, said massive growth is expected in the southwest section of Harnett County.

"The people in Harnett County who have lived here all their lives aren't ready for it," he said.

Oyster said that even before the expected influx of people, population in many areas has far outpaced church growth.

"We're really about 30 years behind in reaching people," he said. "We have to find new ways of starting churches and funding them."

Spouting Growth

Steve Davis is pastor of Spout Springs Church, located in the heart of the area expecting the greatest growth.

"They're building houses as fast as they can build them," he said.

One development near the church is expected to be home to about 10,000 people, making it larger than any town in Harnett County. The Army has built about 1,500 houses with another 3,500 planned in another community less than a half mile from the church.

The church is less than two years old and already has more than 300 in its two worship services on Sundays.

About 80 percent of church members are connected to the military, Davis said. About a dozen are deployed now, which is about normal, he said.

Davis said he doesn't like to put numbers on God's work, but long-range plans for the congregation include a sanctuary that will seat more than 2,000.

"He's sure bringing a ton of people here," Davis said. "We assume He put us here to reach them."

Spout Springs Church members moved into a new building in February. The facility is a "Sprung" structure that is often used by the military.

Davis said the facility looks familiar to military members, but they're used to it being a mess hall or maintenance building rather than a church.

The church is "male-friendly," Davis said. Each service ends with a prayer for the troops, he said.

The associate pastor, Jay Martin, is in the Air Force Reserve. He was on active duty for 10 years before joining the church staff.

Davis said churches that want to reach out to military families should realize that the families probably only be around for three to five years. The churches should try to get the families involved as soon as they're ready, he said.

Spout Springs is developing a program called "Plug and Play," that gets people involved in ministry as soon as they're ready.

Churches should also realize that military families tend to be active, Davis said.

"The concept of sitting around doesn't really apply to them," he said.

Task Force

The counties around Fort Bragg have formed a BRAC Regional Task Force (BRAC-RTF) to deal with issues related to the expansion.

Tim McNeill, chairman of the Harnett County commissioners, is chairman of the task force.

"We're moving to great things," he said at a BRAC-RTF meeting at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church on Feb. 28. "We're making history."

McNeill predicted that the moves would transform the area into one of the greatest regions in the country.

"We will be at the forefront of the 21st century," he said.

Paul Dordal, a retired Air Force general, is executive director of BRAC-RTF. He said leaders in the region are in the middle of an intensive planning process to get ready for the changes.

BRAC-RTF received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to form the All American Center for Work Force Innovation.

U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre said the center will connect public schools, community colleges and universities in the region.

The goal is create a "skilled, home-grown work force," he said.

N.C. Rep. Margaret Dickson said the state has announced the formation of the "All American Defense Corridor," which will span from N.C. ports to the Research Triangle Park. State officials hope the corridor will attract defense-related industry to the region.

Dickson said the changes represent the area's most exciting economic development opportunity in her lifetime.

"It's a wonderfully exciting time to be living here," she said.

Training and Development Associates (TDA), a consulting firm in Laurinburg, is studying on how the changes will impact the communities around Fort Bragg.

Wayne Freeman, president of TDA, said about 16,600 new jobs are expected to be created by BRAC and other military expansion.

Included in the troops expected to move to the area are about 790 Army officers who make more than $100,000 a year. Civilian workers who come to the region will make about $75,000 a year, he said.

"We've got to understand what's coming," Freeman said.

Oyster said he hopes Baptists in the area will find ways to connect with the new families.

"What are we doing to reach out to those people?" he said. "That's the question."