VALDOSTA — With lots of music and kids squealing from bounce houses, Crosspointe Church officially kicked off construction of a new church building on North Valdosta Road Sunday afternoon.

Hundreds were in attendance, with musical groups singing songs of praise, children climbing, jousting and bouncing off inflatable rides and lines forming at a refreshment booth offering sno-cones and cotton candy at the construction site, located at 4130 North Valdosta Road. Men with video cameras could be seen recording the event from atop a cherry-picker crane.

Kids could be seen climbing a huge mound of dirt toward the back of the property, dubbed “Mt. Crosspointe” by some.

The church, now renting space at 110 North Valdosta Road, bought the land three years ago, said David Rogers, the church’s lead pastor.

As well as the desire to own instead of rent, “growth had a lot to do” with the decision to build a new facility, he said.

“This will be a permanent site for us,” Rogers said.

Construction of the new church building will hopefully be completed within a year, he said.

Terry Richards is an editor at The Valdosta Daily Times.