" Rise and Build "

Nehemiah: " I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. " -- Neh. 2:18

Thoughts from the Pastor's Message:
The end of April 1999, Sunday Morning, we had just finished the Ministers' Gathering and the staff had gathered for prayer in my office (which was in the furnace room.) Our guest minister came into the prayer time and declared: " I was listening to you folks praying and God spoke to me and said, tell them, " it is time to rise and build." From the day I walked into this small and precious sanctuary, there was a burning zeal in my heart to push out the side wall, which would be over the lower facility that extended beyond the sanctuary. Now, fifteen years later, the voice of the Lord confirmed the time to build.  Miracles began to happen; but the provision of God came into view  the enemy sorely vexed our project.  Termites!  They had invaded the front wall of the sanctuary and our big, beautiful hundred year-old stained glass window hung by threads.  Once this enemy was revealed, we learned the whole front side of the church was greatly affected and at any given moment when the steeple bell was run, it could have come crashing down, but God!  So many times in the year of 2000 God came to our aid.  It was impossible to add a new section to the old, worn and termite-eaten section.  The contractor said, "Isn't there something about putting new things into old things.  Little did he know he was reminding us of Mark 2:22: "No man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred:but new wine must be put into new bottles."  We would need 60 thousand+ more dollars.  We had already taken a giant step of faith as we signed the papers for the loan for the addition. It was a Wednesday night and I, like Nehemiah, told the people what the Man of God had said and what I believed God was saying by the contractor's remark.  I asked them to pray.  I went down to my office asking God to help us and feeling somewhat downcast, when all of a sudden I heard noises upstairs and particles of dust and debris began falling through the ceiling... this is our story, to be continued.

                                                                    Loving you, Pastor