Yeah, I'm official "over" the rain. It's been all cats and dogs all the time for the better part of 3 days and can I just say it's a little bit old? (oh, wait, I just did...) We are still building a church -- still trying to get our building ready for an "in the raw" party on Friday, where hopefully we will begin the process of raising money for said ministry. And in spite of the sheer magnitude of the job before us, we're still pinching ourselves. Take that back, I'm still pinching myself. Jamey is stuck in bed with flu-like symptoms and feeling pretty much icky. I'm holding out hope that all the drugs we pumped into him tonight will work their magic while he sleeps and he'll feel like a new man tomorrow. I, on the other hand, am still wide awake (thanks to a non-school, non-workday, mid afternoon nap) and my options were study medical terminology or blog. I think my choice was obvious.
So the house is quiet, and in the midst of all the noise that goes with that (my mind is quite literally racing from one item on my ever-growing "to do" list to another equally important item on said list) I find myself thinking about possibilities. I'm not gonna lie, back in February I was so pumped about the idea of this position we find ourselves in, but I didn't honestly allow myself to think that it might some day be reality. Partly due to the fact that while I play the "glass half full" girl -- I really see it as a glass with some amount of liquid close to the halfway mark. It is what it is, nothing more. No wait, that's my alter ego talking. I am a "glass half full" girl most of the time -- when I actually have time to think about the stinkin' glass to begin with. But I will say, I never thought this day would actually come.
Just over 13 days ago, this whirlwind began. Jamey actually looked at me today and said, "what's the date?" to which I replied, "September 15". After that slightly comical exchange, we both said at the same time, "what happened to September, it's half gone." Uh huh. Glasses half empty, months half gone -- and we're 15 days closer to a new church launch (date to be announced soon, I promise.) So what goes into getting ready for such an event you ask -- imagine about 30 busy little bees working night and day to build honeycomb. That pretty much sums it up, in a nutshell.
A/V peeps are figuring out how to wire our building for worship (and apparently Monday night football after worship). Communication peeps are busy designing printed materials and pricing advertising so we can spread the word efficiently and on a shoe string. (I know, she has a deadline and it's fast approaching and I have information she needs. I promise you'll have it tomorrow, Ali.) Designers are picking paint colors and ordering fixtures. Financial minds are trying to come up with ways to pinch pennies and still have a fabulous building. The contractor is trying to come up with a plan of attack that 30ish hard workers will help him carry out. And while all of that is going on, those same people are giving up their time with family and friends (and sometimes eating dinner at a reasonable hour) so that they can put on work gloves and haul trash or sweep or empty trash or swing a hammer. Can I just say, WOW!
Last night we held our first official event in our new space -- a dedication of the building and a dry-run for the praise team in what we assumed would be an acoustical nightmare. Think industrial 1930's building with concrete floors, brick walls (thanks to the removal of 1970's paneling) and beat board ceilings. I envisioned sound bouncing everywhere. It didn't. It does pose some challenges but not nearly like I anticipated. We had 45 folks in attendance -- and several of our launch team were out of town on business or tied up with family obligations. And throughout every single walk-through or conversation one statement was uttered over and over, "Let me know how I can help". Did I say WOW?
So since I know several of you couldn't make it to that first event (but you were there in spirit with us) I'm going to share a few of my highlights. I'd say it's a top 10 list, but I'm not sure there are ten items on the list, but here goes...
1) A six year old with a vested interest b/c "I helped tear down that wall right there".
2) That same six year old never able to quite get enough hugs and kisses from yours truly -- she's my #1 fan and tells me so regularly. (I'm hers, too.)
3) A two year old who thinks your so cool when you lead worship, that she wants you to hold her so she can help you hold the mic.
4) A team of folks who arrive early just to make sure everything is just so before "company" arrives.
5) Blankets on the floor and folks coming in carrying their lawn chairs -- just because they didn't want to miss the fun.
6) Emails and texts from friends who couldn't make it, but really wanted you to know they were sad to miss it -- and you know they meant it.
7) Watching a member of your team walk her husband through the building and point out where the walls will be and reminding him to "watch out, there's a wall there".
8) Walking someone through the building and having them say "wow, this place has potential". (We already knew that...)
9) Teenagers lined up outside, talking and laughing.
10) Having a baby "talk" while you're blessing the building as if to say, "wait, I have something to say, too..."
I'm sure there will be more things that amaze me as this journey unfolds. And I'm sure that there will be days when I will no longer need to pinch myself to make sure it's real. And apparently, it was a top 10 list. I'm sure it won't get as many laughs as Letterman, but the voices in my head approve. Now off to bed, tomorrow's a school day -- and a work day -- and a "we've got to work on the building to get it ready for Friday" day. Until next time...sheri
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