RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP) — The sounds of backhoes and bulldozers, for the moment, are mingling with the sounds of nature at Ridgecrest.

“We are almost doubling the size of our three-year-old Mountain Laurel Inn from 120 rooms to 230,” said Byron Hill, director of conference centers for LifeWay Christian Resources, which owns and operates Ridgecrest near Black Mountain, N.C. and LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center near Santa Fe, N.M. “This will allow us to handle groups of 300-400 people in Mountain Laurel alone. There will be a new multi-use recreation center with a full gym and stage that can seat 800 people.”

The new recreation center, called the “Arc” (Auditorium Recreation Center), will allow an expansion of the LifeWay’s Centrifuge camp ministry at the conference center. Currently, LifeWay can welcome 600 teenagers for Centrifuge, but with the new facilities, 800 teenagers can be accommodated.

The Arc will be ready in June 2006 – in time for Centrifuge – and the rest of the Mountain Laurel expansion will be finished in October 2006. A new convention center will be ready for guests in 2007.