Construction on Rutherglen’s new Kingdom Hall has been completed.

Nov 9 2011 by Will Henshaw, Rutherglen Reformer

WORK has been completed on Rutherglen’s new Kingdom Hall.

The finishing touches are being made to the paving of the car park, and within the next week or two the local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses hope to hold their first meeting in the new facility in Baronald Street at Farme Cross.

It was at the beginning of August that work started to strip and demolish the old building, which had given sterling service since 1958. Since it required extensive renovation, the decision was made to replace it with a new, energy-efficient meeting place which would meet all modern building standards, and in the process provide a facelift to the Farme Cross area. Arrangements were made by the Scottish Regional Building Committee, which organises all new Kingdom Hall builds.

Following the clearing and preparation of the site, tradesmen from throughout Scotland - all of them Witnesses - descended on the site. In only two weekends, the new hall was completed.

James Wood, an elder in the congregation, said: “It has been amazing to see the speed and efficiency with which the project was accomplished. At the outset, we were all a bit overawed with all the work involved but our friends from near and far have rallied round and our new hall is now a reality.

“The spirit of brotherhood and co-operation has been something to behold. It shows what can be done when people work together with a common interest and purpose.

“The 120 local congregation members feel moved with gratitude to their fellow Witnesses from all over the country”.

During the two weekends of the build, a total of 563 volunteers worked on the site. The site overseers made sure that all necessary health and safety requirements were complied with.

Overnight accommodation was provided in the homes of Witnesses in Rutherglen and nearby areas. Meals were cooked and served throughout the weekends, using the Farme Cross Hall across the street, which had been leased from the council for the purpose.

James added: “The neighbouring businesses have been more than helpful in providing additional car parking space during the busy periods and also ground space to accommodate the six large containers which were required to store all the equipment between the time it was delivered to the site and the time it was put to use for the build.

“Their co-operation has made things run so much more smoothly and we are very thankful to them all.”

The congregation are staging an open day on Saturday, December 10, at 1pm, when all those who are interested will be able to have a look around the new hall. An especially noteworthy feature is the facility to accommodate the needs of the deaf community.

Audio-visual equipment has been installed along with a large screen on the platform which will enable the deaf to watch as BSL translators make all the meetings understandable to them.

The Rutherglen Kingdom Hall is the latest in an ongoing series of new-builds and renovations throughout Scotland.

Future projects include new meeting places in East Kilbride, Stirling, Wick and a particularly large project already under way in Livingston, which will comprise a complex of halls capable of accommodating several hundred people at a time.

Meet The Jehovah's Witness Turned Seven-Foot College Hoops Mystery

Meet The Jehovah's Witness Turned Seven-Foot College Hoops Mystery

by Andrew Sharp • Nov 10, 2011 12:43 PM EST

Dewayne Dedmon grew up a Jehovah's Witness in Southern California, forbidden by his mother from ever playing organized sports. He got big, though—6'8 as an 18 year-old, 7 feet now—and he got restless, and eventually he found a basketball court. The rest is history.

After learning the game in junior college, Dedmon's at USC now, and nobody really knows what to expect next. His mother is already worried.

She knows Dewayne might be drafted into the NBA ... "It would be kind of difficult, because you can't serve two masters," she says. "He would probably have to make a decision within himself. He thought he could do both, but obviously you can't."

Meanwhile, USC is elated at the possibilities. And whatever happens from here, it's already a great story. Sports have been awful this week, yes, but you won't read a better story today than Chris Ballard's look at Dewayne Dedmon's journey to college hoops. Take 10 minutes, check it out, and remember that sports can still be pretty cool sometimes.