On Jan. 20-23, Wilson Construction demolished the Net Loft building as another step toward the construction of a new Baptist church at that location.
Housing one of the most popular enterprises in Cordova, the building was owned by the church and leased by the Net Loft.
It took Net Loft employees and a workforce of volunteers several weeks to complete the daunting task of moving everything from the building to a temporary location on the main floor of the present Baptist Church.
The new church is being built by Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian organization whose president is Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham.
Groundbreaking is scheduled to begin in April, with construction to be completed by October 2026.
The new church will be slightly smaller than the current one, but will retain a Christian Center preschool. A large aluminum cross fabricated by Cordovan Rob Eckley that stands at the front of the old church will be incorporated into the new building.
Design work to finalize the layout is underway in partnership with Gary Wolf of Wolf Architecture in Palmer.
Samaritan’s Purse flew members of the Cordova Community Baptist Church Building Committee to Port Alsworth, Alaska, on Jan. 19, to visit Lake Clark Baptist Church, which was built in 2025. Many of the same building materials and methods will be used in Cordova.
Samaritan’s Purse has general contractors who have been building churches in remote Alaskan communities for over a decade. They will be bringing in their own licensed subcontractors for certain parts of project, but much of the hands-on labor will be provided by mission teams from around America traveling to Cordova and being housed in the current church building.
Samaritan’s Purse will also be providing much of their own equipment and materials, bringing both in throughout the spring and summer by barge and ferry.
The church’s deacon board and building committee are still exploring options for the existing church building. This year it will be serving dual roles, with the Net Loft operating out of part of the upstairs, and the rest of the building being used to house and feed mission teams.
Said Pastor Mike Glover, “For years we have been seeking solutions to address the issues with our aging church building and sanctuary, and it has been remarkable to see God’s blessing in this partnership to provide a new resource for ministry in Cordova that will be built to last for generations.
Corey Lynch, director of Alaska Projects at Samaritan’s Purse added: “I want to build a building that will last for a hundred years, and the one sole purpose is for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
