We have a problem at FPC. It's a great problem to have, but a problem nonetheless. What can we do to make room for more people in worship, more room for ministry, and how can we better use the terrific facility we already enjoy? A group of people began to formulate answers to these questions several years ago, creating a long-range strategy for our facility and our mission together.
The umbrella under which our decisions rest in any setting comes from our mission statement: to follow Christ and share his Word. Even though many different opinions exist about whether expanding our facilities is a good idea at this time, the litmus test we all need to appreciate is provided by our mission statement. Can we faithfully and responsibly expand our facility while being aligned with our mission statement? This is the kind of scenario our leaders have faced for several years.
Expanding our facility has been a long-term conversation. I came into this conversation almost 2 years ago, and since that time, I've been astonished at the level of intentional dialogue, prayer, and focus given to this important challenge we face together. Churches falter when decisions about facilities are ignored, rushed into, or delayed for so long that the problem (more people coming to our church) disappears. Thankfully, a great team of people spent a long time working on this very issue way before I arrived in leadership here. And it has been my pleasure to watch our elders, building team, stewardship & finance team, and capital campaign team work together to pursue our mission through the lens of our facility.
Our session came to an important decision last Thursday night: we are moving forward with our building plan. Under the grace of God, we plan to follow the Spirit's leading and make room for more people, more mission, and more ministry. We still have a lot of work to do, so I would covet your prayers for our elders and teams as they make decisions about: financing, design, timing, and other important details. In the near term, you'll see some important changes around our facility as we prepare to expand and as we do our best to serve the needs of both the elderly and the youngest among us. Come to the forums we'll be having in May (go to firstpresgj.org and click on "Calendar") to find out more.
Also, please be praying for our staff, pastors, and session members as we travel to the front range this weekend to meet with 7 other churches in the Fellowship of Presbyterians. It should be a great time of connecting, worship, and growing together in Christ for the sake of his mission.
Solo Dei gloria,
Travis
No comments:
Post a Comment