Public dismay widespread, but no action shown
* Elders explain decision in public letter, page 4
Robbinsville – While the renovations at Big Oaks Stadium this summer led to a spirited debate about where priorities should lie, another location not a ½-mile away has been subjected to the same division.
Trevor Buchanan – who serves as an elder at Robbinsville First Baptist Church – announced plans to sell the log cabin that sits on the grounds to the “highest bidder” in a July 19 Facebook post. Additionally, the winner of the auction would be required to deliver a $2,000 cash bond (refundable) to make sure the area where the cabin rests is properly cleaned up after removal.
The bidding period ended Aug. 10; pastor Rance Shuler told The
Graham Star on Monday that no bids were received.
But the post drew some backlash from the public, who prophesied everything from the church needing income to the desire to add more parking.
The Star reached out to Shuler last week to discuss the criticism. In response, church elders Buchanan, Shuler, Ben Thacker and Jeremy Brown penned a public explanation, which can be found in its entirety on page 4 of this edition.
In short, the cabin has outlived its life and would require a considerable investment to be repaired. The church began noticing issues last year with the foundation of the cabin. Most recently, the structure – nicknamed “The Hut” – has been a popular stop for both tourists and locals who want to get photographs for special occasions (prom or weddings, for example).
Shuler indicated to the Star that the cabin was not safe for any use at this point.
“Is the hut a liability or an asset to what God has called us to do? The answer was clear,” reads a portion of the letter submitted to the Star. “The time, efforts and finances that would be required to make ‘The Hut’ safe and comfortably usable are substantial, and would in no way be considered as wise stewardship God’s resources.
“Furthermore, the chimneys are pulling away from the structure due to failures in the foundation. This also poses a safety threat to folks in the community who might visit the hut and is therefore a liability to the church in that regard.
“Committing to the restoration of such a project does not fit in with the vision of His church.”
Comments on the original post from Buchanan had to be disabled.
Meanwhile, Sara Neville posed a question about the cabin being sold instead of donated in the group “Robbinsville North Carolina Word of Mouth,” which led to some constructive discussion.
A response from Scott Hatch theorized that the church wanted to build a new rectory (a home provided by a church for a member) on the site of the cabin; this was not discussed in either the letter submitted to the Star, nor on the phone with Shuler last week.
The letter does reveal that “The Hut” was offered to the Graham County Historical Association last year – which the organization’s president Edd Satterfield confirmed on the Word of Mouth discussion post.
“The first issue is the way it’s built,” Satterfield explained. “Without the logs sitting on the floor joists/subfloor, it would be very difficult and very expensive to move – if it could be moved at all.”
Ultimately, the association passed on the offer.
“We understand ‘The Hut’ is personally special to some folks in the county and (we) have sought to honor them by giving everyone the opportunity to invest the required time, efforts and resources needed to moving ‘The Hut’ to their desired location,” another portion of the letter reads. “At the end of the day, it would be good for us all to be reminded that the things of this Earth are temporal.
“Let’s invest in that which is eternal and not focus on laying up treasures on this Earth (Matthew 6:19-21).”