The sky's not falling - but the ceiling is.
I don't spend a lot of time in my office closet - so you can imagine my surprise
when I looked inside a few weeks ago and found waterlogged ceiling tiles on
the floor. The television monitor we store there was fine, and Mike Kemnic repaired
the leak in the roof - discovering in the process that the brick facing had
begun to detach from the north wall above it. He was about to work on a temporary
fix for the bricks when the ceiling tile on the porch gave way in front of the
office door, which is how we finally figured out the source of the water stain
on the porch carpet all summer.
Now, we've come to terms with the stink bugs that invade in the fall and the
mice that invade all year long. We successfully relocated the raccoon that had
taken up residence in the chimney, and the bird that worked its way in through
the dryer duct. It's pretty cramped quarters to share with a secretary, a volunteer
coordinator and a pastor; but we only get to feeling like sardines when the
Wednesday morning women's Bible study tries to squeeze inside, too. The mold
doesn't bother me too much, but I've been in allergy treatment for years. The
absence of a barrier free entry and bathroom are difficult for those who use
canes or wheelchairs. But if we can't keep out the rain, this place will really
become a hard place to do business.
At Good Shepherd we're pretty good at dealing with adversity - but I'm beginning
to wonder if we've gotten too good at making do. We need safe space to be church,
not just church on Sunday mornings, but church all week long. We need room for
Bible studies and kid clubs and youth groups, for counseling sessions and prayer,
for work groups and meals, for coffee and conversation. Corpus Christi's own
activities leave us less and less room there; and the farmhouse was simply not
built for the use to which we put it. So maybe all those leaks are a good sign,
my friends. We talk about building in God's time; maybe all that rain over the
last few weeks is God's way of saying that the time is now.
Church Council shares this belief. After giving this their prayerful consideration
and reaffirming the suitability of the farmhouse property as our building site,
Council has voted unanimously to introduce a building fund capital campaign
at our Annual Congregational Meeting next February. We will be asking leaders
to step forward to conduct a capital fund drive, which will lead in turn to
the formation of a building committee and the development of building plans.
Let me ask you to share your thoughts with us, as we ponder together the tools
we need to build God's dreams.
Pastor Jim
But as for me, through the abundance of your steadfast love, I will go into your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you. Psalm 5:7
From the Shepherd's Song Newsletter -- November 2006
Copyright 2006 by Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
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E-mail your comments and questions to Pastor Jim in care of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at gslc@sirus.com.