Bride wed in chapel her grandfather built in his 90s

It seems like every woman has an idea of their dream wedding, but none with quite as special a location as Shelley Pendergrass. She was married in Redwood Chapel, the chapel that her grandfather built in 2011, on October 26.
Bernhard Bartels, the bride’s grandfather, began work on Redwood Chapel in 2011 at the age of 91.
Because he could not find an historic church in Scurry County that could be moved, Bartels headed up a team to build one directly on the Heritage Village grounds.
It would be the only structure there that was built on-site.
He designed the chapel himself as a replica of a traditional church and, along with the Texas Baptist Church Builders and Historic Scurry County, Inc., created the chapel’s walls from reclaimed redwood, which earned the building its name. Bartels even used his own dining room table as a work station to make the custom stained glass windows that provide ventilation to the chapel.
Once the church was finished, Bartels then went on to join a senior swimming team where he won several gold medals and went to the Senior Olympics.
He has written two books, one of which was called 96 and Going Strong, and recently celebrated his 100th birthday.
Bartels’ philosophy in life is very simple; Staying busy will keep you going.
He always has something going on.
With all the work he puts into everything he does, it must have been a very proud moment for Bartels to see his granddaughter choose to have her wedding at the chapel he built from the ground up.
Because the chapel is so small, only 16 by 28 feet, the ceremony actually took place in the yard in front of the chapel.
The guest list was short, trying in vain to fit everyone in, but it didn’t end up working out.
There were simply too many people that they wished to have in attendance.
So, they set up seats and decorated the yard, leaving the inside of the church as is.
Shelley Pendergrass said that the wedding was a bit of a last-minute decision.
After 10 years with her boyfriend, now husband, Carl Pendergrass, the couple decided that they wanted to get married and for her parents and grandparents to be there, before their health declined any further.
It was an emotional day for Shelley Pendergrass. She recalled dressing up in historical attire with her grandparents and visiting Heritage Village often in her childhood, always having a lot of fun.
She prayed that her family would be in good enough health to attend the ceremony, and was happy and relieved that they made it.
She said it was humbling and made her feel peaceful and content to have them there at such an important time and in such an important place.
Of all the other events held at Heritage Village, none have been quite as unique and special as seeing Shelley get married at a place so important to her and her family, with so much time and effort spent there.
It was and will continue to be a memorable event for everyone involved.