Originally published in the Summer 2014 Quarterly Explorer
There are so many great things happening at our church these days! I may see things a little differently than most folks and at a slightly different angle. Maybe it’s partly due to my height. (Ronnie Jones claims that I’m the first one at church to get rained on.) Maybe it’s also because of my trade as an electrician and my nuts-and-bolts approach to things. No matter what, here are some things I see.
- I see the Chapel is open during weekdays in case you want to come by for some quiet time, which is wonderful. I think it is especially cool because over 90% of the Chapel lights have been converted to LEDs, which are extremely energy efficient.
- I see that the FIXERS, over the last couple of years (one breakfast at a time), have upgraded nearly all of the old four foot fluorescent lamps and ballasts in all our buildings to more efficient lamps.
- This summer I have seen the Food Trucks on Tuesday evenings in the parking lot. (We scrambled to make sure all the parking lot lights were working.) It’s sort of like a picnic for the neighborhood, which is, after all, how our church got started.
- Sometimes when I’m over at church fixing a light or an outlet on a Saturday afternoon, I see the Ethiopian church folks gathering to meet in our Assembly Room.
- I see the Communications Committee looking at an upgrade for the projector and screen in Fellowship Hall so the congregation can enjoy a weekly calendar of events and slideshows sharing the fun being had.
- I see the new windowed door and paint job at the Preschool entrance. It is so nice to have a bright and welcoming space for our members and preschoolers.
- I see the Buildings and Property Council studying our kitchen for some upgrades. For example, the old electric range is showing its age and needs to be updated.
- And of course I see the overwhelming success of the Rejoice & Give Thanks capital stewardship campaign to fix up the Sanctuary organ, lights, and sound. which all run on electricity, by the way.
I like what I see! I see good things happening, more and more. I see so many bright, committed church members – of all ages – serving on myriad committees, boards, and councils. I see a super-talented and dedicated church staff, possessed with infinite patience and a sense of humor. And all these folks are trying to be the very best STEWARDS that they can be. Oops, did I just give it away that this is a Stewardship article?
Here’s the main thing that I see. It’s not the bricks and mortar. It’s what we do with the bricks and mortar. When we host CARITAS, and conduct Vacation Bible School, and run hundreds of children a week through our preschool – just to name a few – we do a glorious job. I know that just keeping the lights on does not necessarily mean that lives will be changed, and I’ve been involved enough with our missions efforts to know that there’s no guarantee about when and where a soul might be saved. But we need to keep up the good work, just in case.
Stewardship Committee
- Bill Rusher, Chair
- Patrick Barbier
- Keith Evans
- Bill Gray
- Elizabeth Holland
- Jay Howe
- Rich Jante
- Kate Knerr
- Dave Lesher
- Tom Ligon