Building Update 080326

In the coming weeks, you can expect to see a lot of activity around our campus as we begin construction on the new building. Last week, we shut off utilities to the construction area, salvaged items from the old building, received the construction trailer, and fenced off the construction site. It has been a busy week! Today, demolition will begin, and we will see the old building come down over the next several weeks.

This demolition and construction mark a key moment for our congregation. In this process, we are not simply removing an office building; we are saying goodbye to spaces that have been important in many ways. We are saying goodbye to the places where couples met for premarital counseling, relationships were reconciled and restored, parents met to discuss baptism, teens had their Confirmation interviews, and Church Councils and staff gathered to consider and pray over plans for ministry.

The kitchen was not simply a place for food preparation; it was a place where friendships formed while people worked side by side preparing VBS snacks, Confirmation dinners, and Alpha meals. We also recognize the many people who contributed to the building through both financial support and sweat equity. This was an important place!

Here are a couple of notes you may find interesting as we close this chapter in the life of our campus:

First, the office off the patio was the original church office, dating back to 1980. A couple of weeks ago, on July 21, we used that office for two meetings. The first was to sign the documents securing the loan for construction financing. The second was the Church Council meeting held later that same day. It was a fitting conclusion for a space that served us well as we look forward to the future of our church.

Second, here is a somewhat silly but interesting note. That same office had an air-conditioning unit that dated back to the building’s construction 46 years ago. The unit decided to fail on July 21, just one week before construction began. What perfect timing! As a church, we certainly received the maximum value from that investment made so many years ago.

Over the next few weeks, be ready to see a lot of change on our campus. As demolition concludes and the site is cleared down to bare dirt, we can look forward to a groundbreaking celebration for the new building.

Blessings,
Pastor Rob