Girdwood Chapel taking shape after three years of construction

By Ken Smith
Turnagain Times

The new Girdwood Chapel is closer to completion. Volunteers have worked over the past three summers to construct the building located near the corner of Timberline and Alyeska Highway. The chapel is expected to open around October of next year. Dry-wall and insulation is currently being put inside with big ticket items like water and sewer and electric hook-ups next in line.
“We’re excited at this point in time for the prospect of ministry and community uses,” said Jim Doepken, Girdwood Chapel’s Pastor since 2000. “We want to invite the community to an open house to see where we’ve been and where we’re going, and engage in conversation about future uses.”
The open house will be held Sunday, Oct. 7 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The chapel can hold 126 people but expand out into a gathering room increasing total capacity to 200. The Estimated budget for the building was $1.3 million, with construction costs being covered by money raised from private donations and gifts. The largest gift donated was $20,000.
“We’ve been a vital part of the community for 57 years,” Doepken said, “and we expect to be around a lot longer too.”