So, what are the chances that:
1. Your birthday falls on a Sunday?
2. Your Sunday birthday falls on the first day of the New Year?
3. Your birthday on the first Sunday of the New Year falls on the day that your new church building opens?
4. You are the pastor of a church for over 20 (I think) years and the (unscheduled) opening of your new building falls on the first day of the year and it's your birthday???
Need I say more? Today was our first Sunday in our new building. It's a building that we never thought we'd have and it's much larger than any of us had imagined. Our church was planted by some people who wanted a new kind of church, and they met together and formed Grace Community Church. They met in a barn, then a school, then a larger school, then an office space that has been our home for years. We gradually took over the office complex, leasing a large section for the church, later a warehouse for the youth and then a storefront for our kids. We borrowed space from neighboring businesses on Sundays and eventually ran out of parking spaces.
In an effort to accommodate this growth, our church put together a "task force" to try to evaluate what we should do, where we should go, how do we get there. Knowing many of the people in this particular group, I feel confident saying that God lead them every step of the way. So to walk into this building today I know without a doubt that God gave us this building, in the oversized dimension for a purpose known only to Him. Well, maybe not only. It's been on the heart of our pastor, whose birthday was today, that we build this church for the people who are not yet in church.
It was never our intention to build in the first place. For two years this group searched for an existing building in Columbia to purchase and convert into a church. We found a couple properties, lost a few, then the real estate boom occurred, making office space in Columbia a premium. This group opened their minds a little wider and started looking for land. Not our first choice due to money, price of land and the time it might take to build. God clearly had other plans. After searching and visiting vast amounts of land for sale, He introduced one woman in our church who was at a rehabilitation appointment (heart) to a woman (a nurse I believe) who had a family member who might be interested in selling our church a prime piece of real estate for an incredibly generous price. What are the chances??
We acquired this land by the grace of God - all 33 (?) acres of it. Then we put those architects to work. They designed the most gorgeous of buildings, complete with an "observation deck" overlooking our property, with an incredible view of rolling hills, a neighboring horse farm, stream, woods and the most beautiful sunsets. After reviewing this phenomenal plan, our "task force" put the plans to the ultimate test. They gave it to our church dreamers, you know, the visionaries, the ones who can see the future, who have a vision for what this all might mean for us. They came back with their dreams and we found that the plan met 50% of our ministry needs. So, as our neighbor, the expert on the "task force" says, they went back to the architects and said, "Design us a box." And that's what they did!!
Our original commitment back in 1999 was to raise enough money to purchase an existing building, renovate it and move in with a very short time frame. Our church did this amazing campaign, one that was more about people than money. In fact, it was only a couple times each year that we even updated all the info, and when they did they would share amazing stories of how God so incredibly blessed all those who stepped out in faith, who shared our story. I know this sounds really corny, but I still hear these stories today and I'm truly amazed. I can remember one woman who inadvertently shared our story with a stranger who sat next to her on a plane ride. This stranger sent a $700 check to the church! Who does that?
Before we began building, we had a ground breaking service on the property. Just as everyone was getting settled, about to begin, the Good Year blimp flew overhead. We live 5 minutes away and never once have I seen the Good Year blimp anywhere near our house!!! Who says God doesn't use signs and wonders? They are everywhere around us.
I'd have to say that were we to be led by anyone other than Mark Norman, I'm not sure I would have stuck around for this. He would never want to know that I would even utter his name in a post like this, but I think that God wanted to recognize him today, on his birthday, with this church. Mark, our pastor, has been a Godly leader throughout this entire endeavor. He has been an earnest seeker of the will of God in all aspects of this process. He might be happiest never to have his own name attached to something so big, except that he knows it's all about God. That's what the service today said.
I'm not really a megachurch personality type. I like small, intimate, quiet (I decided today that the front row is a bit too loud for me!) and not very showy. If they add in some kind of smoke machine stuff I'll be out of there! for sure!! Mark's message today, though, was this. Grace will be a place that won't let you stay the same, and it won't let you be alone. Sound uncomfortable enough for all us ISTJ's!! I like the idea, though, and I'm committed to making this happen at our church.
Today was really a special day in the life of our church. I watched so many people helping along the way to make this happen. The number of volunteers who did everything in this building is staggering. As I went on my tour yesterday, the tour guide - who was also a "task force" member, showed us the network room. It was huge, there were miles of cables, phone wires, AV wires, electrical wires, computer systems. He said every wire in that room was laid by a volunteer, with the help of a couple staffers. That's a lot of volunteers! And more are needed, because I believe our philosophy has emerged, and it's one of engaging the unengaged.
T wanted to help out by giving one week night to this cause. When he asked our church administrator, who we both know well, what they needed people to help with most, he gave T an answer I'm sure many overused, overcommited churchgoers would love to hear. He knows the work T does with students, so he told him, "Well, we need people everywhere, but we'd really love to find a job for someone who isn't doing anything!" That coming from a man with a deadline.
Our new building was originally going to be ready the week after Thanksgiving. In fact, most staffers were hoping Jan. 1 would be the last resort. God clearly had other plans. I mean, how do you think it feels to have over 2,000 people sing you Happy Birthday? What a gift. What most people don't know (or they know little about) is that our pastor has an extremely rare heart condition, one that leaves him in constant pain. You would never realize it, even if you met him, spent an afternoon with him, heard him on a Sunday morning. This was the first Sunday in YEARS that he did two services instead of three or four. Of course, by the looks of the crowd, who knows when we might have to go back to three. My five minute trip up to the new building became 20 in the traffic we created.
Now, the box issue... I would love to post some pictures for you of our big box, but we haven't taken any yet. There may be some on our church website, but I'll see what I can do. Really, it's not about the building, it's about people. I've been chided lately by friends of mine who go to a neighboring church about how "unsightly" our building is. I'd have to admit, it doesn't look like a church at all. My brother, an architect, referred to it as the "church on Sunday, Jesus food distribution warehouse the rest of the week" kind of building.
The truth is, it's a building that meets a need, not a building that looks nice. Despite the way this building looks, all the guest parking spaces were filled today, each guest greeted by a parking attendant, even on our first Sunday with no advertising. The sad truth is that only about 5% of the population of this thriving suburban area attend church on Sundays. Our church landed right in the middle of one of the most affluent areas of our county, right across the street from a new development that is only 8% finished! God has a plan, I'm excited and amazed to be a part of it. I don't know why He wants me there, but I'll suck up my skepticism of megachurches and give it a try. It's a church body that I love, one that I know is unmistakably committed to God, His plan and led by one remarkable servant. That's all I need to know for now!
1. Your birthday falls on a Sunday?
2. Your Sunday birthday falls on the first day of the New Year?
3. Your birthday on the first Sunday of the New Year falls on the day that your new church building opens?
4. You are the pastor of a church for over 20 (I think) years and the (unscheduled) opening of your new building falls on the first day of the year and it's your birthday???
Need I say more? Today was our first Sunday in our new building. It's a building that we never thought we'd have and it's much larger than any of us had imagined. Our church was planted by some people who wanted a new kind of church, and they met together and formed Grace Community Church. They met in a barn, then a school, then a larger school, then an office space that has been our home for years. We gradually took over the office complex, leasing a large section for the church, later a warehouse for the youth and then a storefront for our kids. We borrowed space from neighboring businesses on Sundays and eventually ran out of parking spaces.
In an effort to accommodate this growth, our church put together a "task force" to try to evaluate what we should do, where we should go, how do we get there. Knowing many of the people in this particular group, I feel confident saying that God lead them every step of the way. So to walk into this building today I know without a doubt that God gave us this building, in the oversized dimension for a purpose known only to Him. Well, maybe not only. It's been on the heart of our pastor, whose birthday was today, that we build this church for the people who are not yet in church.
It was never our intention to build in the first place. For two years this group searched for an existing building in Columbia to purchase and convert into a church. We found a couple properties, lost a few, then the real estate boom occurred, making office space in Columbia a premium. This group opened their minds a little wider and started looking for land. Not our first choice due to money, price of land and the time it might take to build. God clearly had other plans. After searching and visiting vast amounts of land for sale, He introduced one woman in our church who was at a rehabilitation appointment (heart) to a woman (a nurse I believe) who had a family member who might be interested in selling our church a prime piece of real estate for an incredibly generous price. What are the chances??
We acquired this land by the grace of God - all 33 (?) acres of it. Then we put those architects to work. They designed the most gorgeous of buildings, complete with an "observation deck" overlooking our property, with an incredible view of rolling hills, a neighboring horse farm, stream, woods and the most beautiful sunsets. After reviewing this phenomenal plan, our "task force" put the plans to the ultimate test. They gave it to our church dreamers, you know, the visionaries, the ones who can see the future, who have a vision for what this all might mean for us. They came back with their dreams and we found that the plan met 50% of our ministry needs. So, as our neighbor, the expert on the "task force" says, they went back to the architects and said, "Design us a box." And that's what they did!!
Our original commitment back in 1999 was to raise enough money to purchase an existing building, renovate it and move in with a very short time frame. Our church did this amazing campaign, one that was more about people than money. In fact, it was only a couple times each year that we even updated all the info, and when they did they would share amazing stories of how God so incredibly blessed all those who stepped out in faith, who shared our story. I know this sounds really corny, but I still hear these stories today and I'm truly amazed. I can remember one woman who inadvertently shared our story with a stranger who sat next to her on a plane ride. This stranger sent a $700 check to the church! Who does that?
Before we began building, we had a ground breaking service on the property. Just as everyone was getting settled, about to begin, the Good Year blimp flew overhead. We live 5 minutes away and never once have I seen the Good Year blimp anywhere near our house!!! Who says God doesn't use signs and wonders? They are everywhere around us.
I'd have to say that were we to be led by anyone other than Mark Norman, I'm not sure I would have stuck around for this. He would never want to know that I would even utter his name in a post like this, but I think that God wanted to recognize him today, on his birthday, with this church. Mark, our pastor, has been a Godly leader throughout this entire endeavor. He has been an earnest seeker of the will of God in all aspects of this process. He might be happiest never to have his own name attached to something so big, except that he knows it's all about God. That's what the service today said.
I'm not really a megachurch personality type. I like small, intimate, quiet (I decided today that the front row is a bit too loud for me!) and not very showy. If they add in some kind of smoke machine stuff I'll be out of there! for sure!! Mark's message today, though, was this. Grace will be a place that won't let you stay the same, and it won't let you be alone. Sound uncomfortable enough for all us ISTJ's!! I like the idea, though, and I'm committed to making this happen at our church.
Today was really a special day in the life of our church. I watched so many people helping along the way to make this happen. The number of volunteers who did everything in this building is staggering. As I went on my tour yesterday, the tour guide - who was also a "task force" member, showed us the network room. It was huge, there were miles of cables, phone wires, AV wires, electrical wires, computer systems. He said every wire in that room was laid by a volunteer, with the help of a couple staffers. That's a lot of volunteers! And more are needed, because I believe our philosophy has emerged, and it's one of engaging the unengaged.
T wanted to help out by giving one week night to this cause. When he asked our church administrator, who we both know well, what they needed people to help with most, he gave T an answer I'm sure many overused, overcommited churchgoers would love to hear. He knows the work T does with students, so he told him, "Well, we need people everywhere, but we'd really love to find a job for someone who isn't doing anything!" That coming from a man with a deadline.
Our new building was originally going to be ready the week after Thanksgiving. In fact, most staffers were hoping Jan. 1 would be the last resort. God clearly had other plans. I mean, how do you think it feels to have over 2,000 people sing you Happy Birthday? What a gift. What most people don't know (or they know little about) is that our pastor has an extremely rare heart condition, one that leaves him in constant pain. You would never realize it, even if you met him, spent an afternoon with him, heard him on a Sunday morning. This was the first Sunday in YEARS that he did two services instead of three or four. Of course, by the looks of the crowd, who knows when we might have to go back to three. My five minute trip up to the new building became 20 in the traffic we created.
Now, the box issue... I would love to post some pictures for you of our big box, but we haven't taken any yet. There may be some on our church website, but I'll see what I can do. Really, it's not about the building, it's about people. I've been chided lately by friends of mine who go to a neighboring church about how "unsightly" our building is. I'd have to admit, it doesn't look like a church at all. My brother, an architect, referred to it as the "church on Sunday, Jesus food distribution warehouse the rest of the week" kind of building.
The truth is, it's a building that meets a need, not a building that looks nice. Despite the way this building looks, all the guest parking spaces were filled today, each guest greeted by a parking attendant, even on our first Sunday with no advertising. The sad truth is that only about 5% of the population of this thriving suburban area attend church on Sundays. Our church landed right in the middle of one of the most affluent areas of our county, right across the street from a new development that is only 8% finished! God has a plan, I'm excited and amazed to be a part of it. I don't know why He wants me there, but I'll suck up my skepticism of megachurches and give it a try. It's a church body that I love, one that I know is unmistakably committed to God, His plan and led by one remarkable servant. That's all I need to know for now!
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