Tag: Church 50th Anniversary

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Church Leadership Journal Joy Notes

Our Renovations and the Desert Tabernacle

Building the Tabernacle

I’ve been thinking about the renovations happening in our sanctuary.   Through our whole planning and remodeling process I have been very much thinking about the building of the tabernacle in the desert under Moses’ leadership and God’s direction.   In Exodus there are three chapters of specific instructions about how Moses was to build it (Ex. 25-28).  The process began with an offering, collecting gifts of materials from the people for the project.   The people gave willingly and generously.   In fact, they gave more than was needed so that Moses had to order them to stop giving (Ex. 36:6,7).   The Tabernacle was to be constructed well, and of durable materials, meant to last.   Its lavishness was a symbol of the value attached to worshiping God.  Great care and skill were required of the builders in order to follow the plan God made for it.  God appointed a man named Bezalel whom he had especially gifted for the task (Ex. 31:2).  

Our 50th Anniversary Sanctuary Makeover Project

I see several points of similarity between our renovations in the sanctuary and the building of the Tabernacle.   Of course, we needed to begin with an offering too.   And we are praising God that pledges have come in sufficiently to complete the kitchen makeover and the sanctuary renovations including the lighting.  Cash offerings are on hand to cover the kitchen and the sanctuary renovation but not yet the lighting.   But there has all along been a great attitude of willingness to give just there was as in the OT.  

Another similarity is the desire I have observed in all our committees and boards to plan for durable changes.   We have been very conscious that we have enjoyed a sanctuary that was completed 45 years ago this Christmas.  The rug is the original and there have been few changes needed because the original builders built very well.  So our desire has been to make plans that will serve for another generation.   For example, this meant choosing a much better grade of carpet to achieve the goal.   

God has blessed us with a trustee chair, Shaun Harrington, who is able to map out the project and keep it on schedule.  He has also sent a helpful sheetrock contractor and is continuing to send willing volunteer workers so that we are looking to complete the carpet and wall renovations before Christmas.   

We are privileged to work on this project

Just like in the OT, I believe there is a sense among us that it is a privilege to be called upon to work on God’s house.    We are honored to be chosen to equip it to better fulfill its mission as a tool of the people of God for the work of God in worship, service to others and discipleship.  Our gifts and labor are investments in the spiritual well-being of the next generation.  

 

 

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Journal Joy Notes

JoAnne’s Book Arrives

JoAnne writes a book

For the past eighteen months, my wife has been busy with the process of writing a book called God with Us – 50 True Stories of God’s Faithfulness.   She has spent many hours interviewing people, writing, rewriting, editing and proof-reading, and coordinating with those whose stories are included.  It was a longer process that she thought when she first set out to compile 50 testimony stories to go with our church’s 50th anniversary celebration.  Everyone who has a story included in the book either currently attends or has at some time attended Community Wesleyan Church.  This makes the book very unique.   After it was finished, she reflected that it really tells much about our church without intending to.

Impressive endorsements

JoAnne asked General Superintendent and Founder of World Hope International, Jo Anne Lyon, to write the foreword.  She agreed and wrote a powerful encouraging word.   Endorsements by Dr. Shirley Mullen, President of Houghton College; Dr. Jack Connell, Senior Vice President at Roberts Wesleyan College and Northeastern Seminary; Dr. David Thompson, Professor at Asbury Seminary; Rev. Wayne Wager, District Superintendent; and Rev. Larry Nemitz, Vice Chairman of the Board at Community Wesleyan are all very impressive, glowing and so helpful.  

Excited to begin sales of the book

For the last six weeks JoAnne worked with professional editor, James Watkins, and published through ACW Press.  Wednesday, she was pleasantly surprised when the boxes containing the first 200 books showed up on our back step two weeks ahead of schedule.   What a moment of accomplishment to see the results of all that hard work in your hands.   Now she is busy distributing free and promotional copies and planning book signing events.   She is even considering joining Facebook to talk about her book. 

 

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Church Leadership Journal Joy Notes

Taking time to celebrate

When I was a young pastor, I didn’t understand the importance of celebration.   I guess I must have ignored the fact that the OT has a regular schedule of feasts for the Israelites to be involved in.  Maybe it came from the the everyday nature of dairy farming where I grew up.  Maybe it was because celebration in our culture often has an unhealthy and unnecessary association with drinking alcohol.  But over the years, I have discovered the importance of the Bible’s example of taking time to celebrate in wholesome ways.

So, for example, this last weekend at Community Wesleyan, we took time to celebrate.  It was the Celebration Sunday of our 50th Anniversary Makeover Campaign.  So we took time out to celebrate.  We put up the tents outside, had chicken barbeque and brought in the watermelon and ice cream.   It was a great picnic and it lent a air of festivity to our event that it would not otherwise have had.   Everyone enjoyed themselves.

John dishes up the chicken
Picnic time
Get that picture
Time for ice cream

[Show as slideshow]

 

 

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Church Leadership Forward Look Journal Joy Notes

Celebrating a Unanimous Decision

 

Our Celebration Theme and Logo

What a joy it was to lead the special church conference this evening in the consideration of the 50th Anniversary Project.   I had felt that there was a positive feeling about the various parts of the project but one always wonders if everyone is speaking up.   There was good attendance at our meeting.  This was gratifying since I had postponed it due to weather one time.  But sometimes good attendance means sharp division of opinion.   In this case, however, it quickly became obvious that good attendance signaled a strong excitement and a unanimous enthusiasm for the project. 

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Forward Look Journal

50th Anniversary Kick-off

The balloons were out.  The cake was cut.  The atmosphere was electric.   Today it is official; Community Wesleyan Church in Kirkville is entering a season of celebration.     Check out the KNN pages for pictures from today’s dinner (http://www.kirkvillewesleyan.org/anniversary-kick-off/pictures-from-kick-off/category/1.html).

Our Celebration Theme and Logo

This is a crucial time in our church’s history.   

It is a moment when we remember the faithfulness of God in helping our congregation in the struggles of the past.  It is a time when we confess together as we sang together in worship this morning, “Your grace is enough for me!”   The song is based on the word of Scripture, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Co 12:9 NIV).     We also sang of God’s faithfulness.  This is also a point when we look forward to what God is going to do through our church in the future until Jesus returns.   

This is a big season for me and my wife personally too. 

Continue reading “50th Anniversary Kick-off”

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Church Leadership Forward Look

Plans continue for Community Wesleyan Extreme Makeover 50th Anniversary projects

Tonight the Local Board of Administration (LBA) at its regular monthly meeting voted unanimously to recommend to the upcoming semiannual church conference that our church undertake an Extreme Makeover project as a part of our 50th anniversary celebration.  Such unanimity on such an important item is a sign of blessing.  We are already well on our way toward our first 50th anniversary goal of 50 4 50—that is 50 outreach and service ministries accomplished in the 30 months prior to our 50th anniversary at Easter 2012.   Now we would like to add to that a goal of updating our facilities in crucial ways to be ready for the next decades of the new millennium.  The four sub-projects chosen by the board to be recommended to be included in the overall Extreme Makeover project are as follows:

  1. Finish the kitchen makeover project
  2. New carpet for the sanctuary & adjacent rooms (possibly including some small alterations to the vestibule and platform)
  3. Improvements to sanctuary lighting
  4. Repaving the entrance driveway and paving the unpaved section of the parking lot including a new area in the back extending behind the pole to give added space.

The recommended idea is that these projects would be completed in this order as the money is raised.  While the last one might not be finished before the anniversary, the idea is that it will be made possible by this Extreme Makeover project.   The board has had sub-committees working on each project for some months.

I am personally very excited about this Extreme Makeover combined project.  We will be discussing it at our semi-annual meeting but do not plan to make final decisions then, but rather at a later special conference.   I believe that just as we are already seeing with the kitchen makeover, the other projects also will enable ministry excellence for years to come.