I'm not so fond of change. I like to keep things comfortable and easy but life isn't always comfortable and easy. That's the case with things at my church right now. The 96 year old portion of the building is tired and sagging. It's sagging so much that it is no longer safe to worship within its walls.
I've attended this church all my life, in fact they announced my birth on that Sunday morning at church. It's been through remodeling several times but the cracks are now serious and the needed restoration is major. No decision has been made yet by our building committee so the outcome is still unknown. That's uncomfortable.
Within those crooked walls I became the person I am. At three years old I was flower girl at my sister's wedding. At 12 years old I was baptized. I attended Sunday school and performed in Christmas pageants. We were married there and held our wedding reception in the old basement. Our babies were dedicated to the Lord within those walls and they too chose to be baptized in the baptistry.
"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given us" (Romans 12:4-6a NIV).
The church is its people, not the building, so we will get through this change with a little patience and a lot of prayer. This is the third building for Bethel Grove Church so our predecessors have been through this challenge before us. The church remains strong due to its members. The congregation will endure.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9a NIV).
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