This morning as I was driving to work I was thinking about all of the things that I have on my list to do. It is one of those weeks where I have meetings every night this week, morning meetings a couple of days, a major youth event Saturday into Sunday, and about 500 things on the to-do list that are really time sensitive.
As I am making mental lists so that I can make real lists I turn into the parking lot and prep for the first day of my week and there was a pair of fire trucks at the curb of the church with lights on. I thought it might be a preschool thing but it was before 9:00am and it is a teaching work day so there are no kids.
Turns out the alarm went off because of some construction in the back of the church. They were jackhammering concrete that was buckling during the winter. The dust was coming through the back door to such an extent that it set off the alarm.
So I made a tarp to collect the dust and minimize cleanup later on. (see the Pic)
We are also getting a new roof on our education building.
With all of the chaos that the morning has given us I can’t help but think about the blessings we have. This past year the MUMC congregation has shown up in a big way in their willingness to be be flexible through the collapse of a roof, leaks, shifting of office space, rearranging VBS rooms because of new floors being put in, and many other logistical things due to facilities work. Also there has been a blessing of financial gifts that have allowed us to make some wonderful and much needed improvements and restorations. We are getting a new roof today, leaks patched, we have gotten new tile for the preschool and new bathroom fixtures in the works, sanctuary staging, carpet, paint, a remodeled gathering room, and some other work that was much needed.
My seminary youth ministry professor said he had the theology of, “Heavily use, but don’t abuse.” I think we embrace that here. Our building isn’t perfect, but we use it to the best of our ability and care for it in turn. We are a bring your coffee and snack into the sanctuary kind of church. We want everyone who walks through the doors to feel like they are in a place where they can be themselves. Sure, there are times when bumps and scratches happen and that is wonderful because the wear and tear is the cost of sharing that love God has for us with not just our congregation, but with our community at large.
