If your congregation is getting ready to start building a new church in which to hold services, you might be trying to save some money by clearing the land yourselves. If you have been asked to be in charge of that task, here are some ideas that might make the job easier.
Get Help - Clearing the land yourselves is a huge process, so you've obviously realized that getting help is at the top of your list.
- It might be very helpful for you to form your own committee. You'll need somebody to be in charge of coordinating the effort by making phone calls, sending texts, or emailing the exact time and date that you will be clearing land.
- Another committee member might be in charge of getting somebody to provide water bottles, snacks and even meals.
- It would be very helpful to have somebody in charge of setting up child care so that parents can both help on the project.
- You'll need somebody in charge of renting equipment, too. While some members of your congregation probably own things like wheelbarrows, hoes, rakes and other tools, you will probably need to rent a tractor. If you are removing trees or tree stumps, you may even need a 4-wheel drive truck.
Work Day - Count yourselves lucky or blessed if you're doing the clearing in the fall when the weather is cooler. Starting early in the day is a great idea, especially if you have individuals who need to leave to go to their regular work place.
- A good way to start is to form a very long human chain that will start at one end of the property and move slowly to the other end, making sure that rocks, tin cans and other small debris is removed. This job is perfect for kids.
- Stronger individuals can follow with shovels and other hand tools to remove small plants and larger rocks.
- Have large boxes and garbage bins available for trash.
Probably the last thing you will do is to remove trees and tree stumps that are right where your building is supposed to be situated. Tree stump removal is hard and dangerous work, so it's important to have only those involved in the work present. The workers will use a shovel or mattock to clear rocks from around the tree or tree stump, and then the tree will be cut down, if needed. When using a grinder, be sure to leave enough of the stump for leverage. Finally, you might need a heavy truck and a chain to completely lift the stump and the roots from the ground.
