A Message from Ellen 8-30-23
August 31, 2023
August 30, 2023
Dear Friends,
As we turn the corner into fall, I want to thank the staff and volunteers who worked so faithfully and hard all summer to continue the life of our faith community as creatively and positively as possible. If you only come on Sundays, you might not have recognized the ongoing construction that has ruled the summer for your staff. Besides electricity and water being cut off and on at random times, living in the midst of a construction site brings its own “spiritual challenges.” Anyone can be patient when everything goes according to our plan. Things have not gone according to anyone’s plan, and so perhaps the spiritual virtue of patience has grown deeper roots in our community this summer. For the most part, everyone has been exceedingly flexible and positive. For example, our evening, intergenerational Vacation Bible School has consumed a lot of Ed Black’s summer, but delaying until August gives us a chance to gather as a Church Family again and eat together! Over 30 volunteers and staff worked hard all summer to make a time of fellowship and faith formation available to everyone. And we had a GREAT time! Please say a word of thanks to Ed and the volunteers! And Shannon Fancher, Steve Hyman, William Hunter, Joe Davenport, Sissy Ervin, Travis Taylor and a host of other folks have worked very hard shepherding the construction work to get us to the point where we can again have supper together as a church family and plan to restart Kirk Night in September. Have you registered to eat with us on Wednesday, September 6th? If not, why not? Come and help us dedicate our renovated kitchen and begin Kirk Night again!!
Elder Steve Hyman, chair of our Capital Improvement Committee gave a thorough report on the construction during our Congregational Meeting last Sunday. But I’d like to share some of my favorite parts of our construction.
• The playground now advertises that we are ready to welcome children!
• Community Room Bathrooms! The old bathrooms were accessed from outside, were not handicapped accessible, and were not air conditioned. Need I say more? Go and see for yourself!
• The Kitchen! Before construction, a sink had rusted through, the refrigerator froze things and the stove cooked unevenly. A Kitchen Dedication is planned for Wednesday, September 6th. Please come and celebrate the great results of all the work!
• Sound system upgrades. While nothing seems to fix every hearing challenge, we feel that the upgrades in the sanctuary and in the Fellowship Hall are the best we can offer to make our worship and programming accessible to as many people as possible.
• Safety Measures. New security cameras are now both inside and outside the building. And all classroom doors now have hardware that will allow someone to lock themselves inside and secure the room in case of an intruder.
There are other important and wonderful results. But please join me in a chorus of “Thank You’s!” to our amazing staff and volunteers who have made this work happen on our behalf. To God be the glory! Thank God!
Ellen Skidmore
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