Just a little over ten months ago demolition and then rebuilding began on our church facility. With great excitement we look forward to a wonderful celebration of the grand opening and dedication of this amazingly remodeled building this coming Sunday afternoon at 2:30. Please make plans to be part of this historic day. God has blessed us beyond anything we could imagine during this past year of Covid restrictions and Sunday mid-afternoon meetings. Although we will continue to meet this coming Sunday in the afternoon, the following Sunday begins our regular schedule of 9:30 Sunday School and 10:30 Worship Service.
Just in case you did not get Pastor Chris’s communication this week about Sunday, I have copied it below. This is a great challenge for all of us.
Church Family:
The Lord has moved mountains today! Pierce County officials have assured us of our Temporary Certificate of Occupancy and we are confirmed for our May 16 Grand Opening Celebration & Dedication Service!
Note that this is a 2:30 pm service. This will allow friends and family from other local churches who are worshiping in the morning to be able join us for this very special occasion. "Open house" before the service and fellowship afterward. More details to come in the next few days. Meanwhile, please feel free to invite others to join us.
Just a few years back, we studied through the book of Nehemiah on Sundays. The unprecedented effort to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem has served as an inspiration to church construction projects through the ages. But there's an aspect of their dedication service that should also guide us as we prepare to celebrate this Sunday. Just prior to the day of celebration, we read in Nehemiah 12:30 that "the priests and the Levites purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates and the wall." While this was indeed a religious formality for Israel, it represented something God wanted to be happening in the heart: purification.
What better way for us to prepare for Sunday's milestone of wonderful celebration than to enter the place of worship with "clean hands and a pure heart"! Such sanctification is required of those who will "ascend into hill of the Lord" (Ps. 24:3-4). Every one of us wants this Sunday to be the very best it can be. We've waited and served and given for years to reach this day. While touching up the paint and mopping the floors and putting up decorations will all contribute to the joy of the moment, let us remember that nothing compares to personal holiness. Church family, as children of God let us draw near to God in personal repentance and worship and revival as we ascend the hill to this coming weekend. Upon this foundation of hearts right with God, we can expect the celebration to be TRULY AWESOME! May God be glorified!