Sunday, February 3, 2002
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Sunday, February 3, 2002 |
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Dedicating a building By JUSTIN KOLLMEYER
"God is good all the time! And all the time God is good!" Here at Prince of Peace this Sunday morning we'll be holding the grand opening and dedication service for our new Life Center. This is the completion of a true miracle that began with a simple vision nearly ten years ago. Sunday marks the end of a long prayer-filled road of planning, budgeting, decision-making, sacrificial-giving, and risk-taking what we call "walking by faith." But it also marks the beginning of a new long chapter of mission and ministry that will stretch far into the future and will be full of significant moments in people's lives. Moments which will forever change them and define them. It's exciting! It's a wonderful building! It's big and beautiful and full of potential! Our people have worked so hard and given so much to bring us into it. I can't wait to see it full of eager worshippers or Bible study participants. I can't wait to see it full of noisy children and youth playing basketball or volleyball or just running around playing chase. I can't wait to see it full of hungry people seated for a banquet or excited guests at a wedding reception. I can't wait to see its classrooms full of minds yearning for knowledge and insight. This is the third building we've built since we began as a group of about 30 people worshipping in Fayetteville Elementary School cafeteria on Hood Ave. just over 15 years ago. Our first building was and still is primarily for worship, Sunday School, and office space. The second one was for the expansion of teaching and learning and for the gathering of more people in fellowship. Now this new building is for the multiplication of services: activities, programs, classes, nursery and events we know we want to offer and many more we haven't even thought of yet. I only bring up our new building and mention that we've built before to let you know that, with three building projects in the past fifteen years, I've had ample opportunity to ponder abundantly upon what it means to build buildings for the Lord. Those of you pastors and active church members who have been a part of a church building project know (all too well, perhaps) all about it, don't you? Right here in Fayetteville and Peachtree City so many of our churches either are building or have built some building in the past five years or so. And you know. It's a joyous task. It's a fulfilling endeavor. But it's most certainly also a draining experience. And it's not for the fainthearted. So why do we do it? I mean, think about the long open-ended visioning meetings, the feasibility studies, the capital fund campaigns, the site development hassles, the revisions with the architect, the "value engineering" decisions, the congregational squabbles (I know none of you know about this, but I'm told by trusted sources that these can occur!), the budget-watching, the cutting and changing, the late meetings, the appeals for money and more money, the appeals for money and more money, the appeals for money and more money. Did I mention the appeals for money and more money? Why? Why do we do all this? Well, there's only one reason, isn't there? It's because we're nuts! No, not "certifiably", but just plain 'ol "nuts for our Lord"! You see, love is the most powerful force in the universe. And God's love for us in Jesus is the most powerful love there is! God loves us so much that it changes us. It engages us. It captures us. It sets us in motion. All for the good! And when God's love gets in us and we want it to get into others and then others and then still others we'll do anything we can to create places where this amazing love of God can live and grow and reach and touch deep into hearts and lives. And that's what these buildings are. They're not monuments to our denominations or to our local congregations. They're not accomplishments for our ecclesiastical resumes. They are simply part of our joyful response to the God who loves us, redeems us and wants to use us for His purposes. Nothing more. Nothing less. If you have a church building to go to this Sunday, look around. Remember back when you had the wonderful opportunity to build it for the Lord. Remember the good times when you and so many others sacrificed and worked and sacrificed and worked to provide your space for yourselves and so many others. And remember with joy. Remember with thanksgiving. Remember with a song of praise. Remember with a smile of peace. Remember that you did it all for God out of response to His great love for you. If you don't have your own "church home" right now, then I invite you to come to be my guest at Prince of Peace this Sunday at 10 o'clock. In attending this Dedication Service you'll be a part of history in the making, and by your very presence you'll join the others in doing something great for God. And you'll be a part of something that will give you joy for years to come. I hope to see you. Please come up and tell me you've come because I invited you in the newspaper article. I would be so blessed! And the good news/bad news is that we're already pondering building again. I can't wait! Can you? Kollmeyer is Sr. Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, located in Fayetteville on Hwy. 314 between Lowe's and the Fayette Pavilion. For more information log on at www.popdove.com or call 770-461-3403.
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