Day 74: March 20, 2006 9:14 a.m. Church Office

Total miles walked so far: 732

What a great weekend. Have you ever seen a dream turn into a reality? Our new youth building opened this weekend, and it is a dream come true.

A year and a half ago, I was approached by a good friend. He wanted to give a gift to the church, but he did not know if I would accept it or not. He understood how important our general fund and 4 Our Children debt payments were, but he had a vision of a building for students, a place where they could come and find a safe haven. He saw a place where a kid who was a follower and not a leader could find a place where people made good decisions. This building was to be a place where students could fellowship with strong students who were mature Christians. He saw this building as an outreach center. I knew how his wife felt because she had tipped me off that he had this idea to begin with.

The next step was to go to Chris Curran, our youth minister. The donors and Chris dialogued. Chris talked to Paul and they came up with a plan. The donor loved it and told them to move ahead. Along the way we had to do all the things Baptists do. We got church approval and elected a committee. We went through all the processes. It is easier to do all of that when you have the money in the bank, by the way.

The building process was like any other building process. There were delays due to weather and permits and contractors and every other thing that happens in every project. There were unexpected problems and unexpected costs. At the end of the day we have a great building. Did I mention that it came in/near budget? I have been told that I can’t make that declaration until all bills have been received.

The true joy came last week. I was thrilled that the donors loved the building. I was delighted that the parents loved the building. What brought me joy was looking at the faces of our students. It is their building. It was not built to appeal to adults. It was built to appeal to students. Chris always got that; so did the donors. The building committee always got that. This was always meant to be their building, not ours.

What made this process great was the passion behind it. We wanted a building that would help us reach kids for Christ. It was always about the students. We set aside egos and pride and built the building God would have us build for our students.

I was most touched when I walked in Saturday and saw students sitting around reading scripture aloud. They read all of the verses of the New Testament. It was their way of consecrating the building the day before they got to play in it. It was a great scene.

Remember how we would hold our hands as children? Remember how we would quote the poem: ‘Here’s the church, Here’s the steeple. Open the doors and look at the people!’
It was a fun thing to do. As children we would unfold our hands and wiggle our fingers. Our fingers represented the people who came to church.

In the poem the church is a building. The church is not a building, it is people.

I could tell you 101 reasons that I love the new building. Did I mention that it came in/near budget? The thing that I love most is this. One day soon a student will walk in. They will stay because they think it is cool. They will come at first to play the games or flirt with girls. At some point they will stay for worship or small group. They will see and hear things that they never have heard or seen before. They will pray to receive Christ.

At that point, every penny given, every hour of work offered, every prayer uttered, and every scripture verse read will be worth it. Any thing that happens after that is gravy.

There are a few things yet to be worked out. My daughter tried to open a tab at The Common Grounds Café. It seems that her unemployment and questionable father have caused her to become a cash only customer. I support the church’s policy. I know my daughter. For one glorious month the smoothies and frappucinos would be on her. And then the bill would come and then….well, it is just better this way.