From the man whom God blessed with the knowledge to build the Ark of the Covenant, Bezalel Builder found its name.
Bezalel Builder is a small woodworking business that was created by Auburn student Sidney Mims.
“The mantra of Bezalel Builder is that all of us, no matter what we do, were created to create,” Mims said.
Mims, a senior in building science, is married to Claire Mims, a senior in architecture. Because both spent a lot of time at Church of the Highlands involved in ministry, the two were able to meet.
“My wife and I believe that our purpose is to build churches and homes for people all over the United States and the world,” he said.
Mims said, for a year, his time was focused on playing for the Auburn football team, and it took a while for him to find woodworking as his passion.
“Naturally, with the switch from student-athlete life, there was a huge gap in what I did with my spare time,” Mims said. “I had always loved building things, and that passion really started when I was younger.”
Mims’ first piece made for someone else was a bookshelf.
“Looking back, I did such a bad job and kick myself for letting something like that out of my shop, but, you live and you learn,” he said.
Now Mims is focused on constructing smaller items for people to put in their homes such as bowls and cutting boards. Each cutting board and bowl is unique and can be made quickly, he said.
Mims said he started with small projects, and then his woodworking ideas grew in size.
“[I began with] a shoe rack for myself, and the projects quickly escalated into bigger things,” he said. “I made a double-decker couch, a kitchen table and a shed for myself outside of my apartment.”
Mims said his love for building really lies with “making unique pieces of furniture.”
The first large piece he created was a solid oak dining table made from “traditional wood joinery, where all the wood fits together without any screws or nails,” he said.
The creation of this table opened up a world of possibilities for Mims to expand on down the road.
When Mims is not creating new pieces in his backyard, he can be found at church.
“Trying my best to live a life of faith, I knew that I wanted to reflect my abilities back to the one who gave them to me,” Mims said. “Bezalel Builder was founded on the theme verse(s) Exodus 31:3-5.”
Mims’ passion for his work also stems from creating gifts for people they can’t find anywhere else.
“I love thinking through build processes to make a piece that is truly unique, bringing the clients’ ideas to reality,” Mims said.
Mims’ work can be found at bezalelbuilder.com, as well as on his Instagram @bezalelbuilderllc.
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