Oakwood Church held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 26 at 1225 W. San Antonio St. in New Braunfels to begin the construction of a new facility, which will serve as the home to New Braunfels Christian Ministries Volunteers in Medicine.

Members of Oakwood Church raised $2.5 million in donations for the construction of the facility. The building will be 9,000 square feet with a design that will allow for more efficient patient care and privacy.

According to Jim Wesson, New Braunfels Christian Ministries executive director, the new facility will also provide nearly double the workspace they have now, which will help support future growth and allow the clinic to care for uninsured individuals in the community more efficiently. VIM staff and volunteers will collaborate to provide an array of services to patients.

Senior Pastor of Oakwood Church Ray Still said the church celebrated its 40th anniversary and wanted to "give a gift to the community."

"Originally our goal was $2 million, and it came in at $2.5 million, which was good because the project went up to $2.5 million with inflation and stuff like that," Still said.


Wesson thanked those who have been and are going to be involved in the process for the next several months.

"It's going to be a beautiful facility. We look forward to the day that we're able to all be back here again for an open house, when we get ready to open it, and celebrate that together as well," Wesson said.