Bringing in the chairs

I spent time this week helping Aldersgate set up the rows of chairs that will soon hold hundreds of people each weekend. There was a certain quiet sense of joy I felt as I carried stacks of chairs and calculated row spacings. Chris Tomlin and other Christian music played in the background as the finishing touches were being made on the new sound system. I cannot begin to describe the satisfaction I felt to see everything come together as I watched the volunteers and workers busy themselves amongst the sea of chairs. I was proud to be a part of it and I was humbled to know that God has used me in the ministry of this church. I made a resolution in that moment that I would bring in the chairs at every church project that I design. Because it is more than just the work...it is the mission I am on to help churches through their growth, and it is a small gesture of my worship and service to God. I look forward to the first service at Aldersgate this Sunday. I'll be in one of those chairs wondering if the person next to me knows Jesus a little more because of God's work through me. It is what drives me forward.

When is the best time to build?

If you had asked me this question a month ago, I would have said, "the Spring of course". Everything is turning green and there is plenty of time to get a building closed in before the cold of winter hits. At least in Southwest Missouri, winter is not something you want to mess with (remember back to the ice storms of 2007?). Summer has many benefits, but everyone else has the same idea and so the construction workload can sometimes get saturated (there's irony to that you'll read about later) which can have an effect on construction pricing.

In the case of one church client, they wanted to be in their new worship center by Christmas, and so Spring seemed to be the perfect time to begin construction...or so we thought.

Unfortunately, even in all its luster, Spring can be a very wet time of the year. I guess the phrase "April showers bring May flowers" has a very direct message that should be cautioned. I suppose beginning construction on April 1 should have been a sign that flirting with Spring was a dangerous thing. And perhaps construction was saturated after all and we spent nearly six weeks figuring that out.

So when is the best time to build? I guess my answer is, "when God is moving". Just as God never promised us that the Christ-filled life would be free from struggle, other efforts in the Christian ministry are not met without challenges. I am sure Satan is working very hard to see to it that ministry is met with many challenges. When God moves in your church, I say respond with earnest and trust that He will handle all of the details, "for tomorrow will bring its own worries".