Something that is really special about Narrow Gate Foundation as a whole is that all of its initiatives are incredibly unique and bring glory to God in their own way. It reminds us of the verse in 1 Corinthians 12 – Paul tells us “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” Each body part has a God-given function and design, just as the Foundation has its many parts including Narrow Gate Trading Company, Narrow Gate Exchange, Narrow Gate Lodge, and TN Box Beams.
While most of you are aware of the origins of NGTC, NGE and NGL, the beginning of our newest endeavor – TN Box Beams – is a unique and encouraging story.
TN Box Beams was birthed in 2016 from a local builder who walked into our Narrow Gate Trading Company shop – a place where our artisans handcraft beautiful wood and leather products – with a problem he needed help fixing. His customer wanted box beams in their new custom home but he couldn’t find anyone to build the beams so that they would last, be easy to install, and create a “wow” factor that would blow his client away. Our Narrow Gate Graduates – the craftsmen of Narrow Gate Trading Company – decided to take this project head on create a product that not only solved this man’s problem, but is also drop dead gorgeous.
Spoiler alert: it was a HUGE success! Since then, our business has continued to build (literally.) We launched TN Box Beams as a division of NGTC and haven’t looked back since! We now handcraft not only real wood box beams, but also custom mantels and corbels.
Although, TN Box Beams isn’t just a place for woodworking, it’s also a place where discipleship happens and relationships are formed. TNBB is a shop full of hand-selected, highly-trained craftsmen who are passionate about using their skills to honor God and help others. We keep our minds and hearts focused on this mission by digging into the Word together every single morning before we start our work day. A typical morning for us looks like a cup of coffee, our team sitting around a big table, and sharing what we need prayer about, asking questions, and learning new things together that God wants to teach us.
We find that beginning each day this way prepares us for what lies ahead and reminds us what our purpose in our work is.
Another unique facet of TN Box Beams is our love for building up and training others. We love to serve the Narrow Gate Lodge students who are in the Service class, the last phase of their eight month period at Narrow Gate by teaching them the basics of woodworking each week when they come to our shop for training. These times of equipping and one-on-one relationships with the Lodge students opens the door to job opportunities and internships for them once they graduate the program.
We are so grateful for what God is doing in and through us at TN Box Beams! We believe He has gifted us with hands to make one-of-a-kind, world-class products that bring warmth and beauty to every home.
