As you pass by the church, it may appear there is little activity taking place to restore our historic building. Don’t be fooled. The sanctuary is well on the way of being cleared of debris. In the interests of time, safety, and sound stewardship the church obtained a contractor to remove the substantial amounts of debris. While it is not certain, there is a possibility much of the original floor will be salvageable. The church has also been the recipient of a generous gift from Window World; who has donated replacement windows for the rear of the building on the second floor. Generally it takes four weeks to receive custom windows. However, Window World has placed a rush on the order to expedite the repair.
While we are making progress towards the restoration of the building, it is important to remember our obligations as stewards of God’s resources. We have the duty to diligently move ahead prayerfully and thoughtfully considering the implications of each decision. This implies rebuilding will be a careful and deliberate process that cannot be rushed. I would consider this process much less a short sprint and more a marathon.
With that analogy presented, I want to share a key truth. The apostle Paul used the analogy of a race to encourage the Christian’s daily life, exhorting the reader to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us”. He reminds us of the need to “throw off everything that hinders” and “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) As a church we must throw off all that hinders (e.g. grudges, pride, selfishness) and focus on glorifying Jesus Christ; who suffered the cross that we could run this race of faith!
