Today I offer my final reflection in this cycle where I have sought to name my grief and hope in this transition. I actually need to get packing (not a figure of speech, but literally!), so I may have only a few posts for a few weeks. First, here is our schedule:
- Last worship services at Grace (all five) – Nov 22 & 23
- Loading our stuff onto the truck – Nov 24
- Unload in Goodland – Nov 26
- See family for Thanksgiving – Nov 29-30
- Start at Goodland – Dec 1
One of my joys (along with being able to teach classes as part of the Lay Academy, organize the Lay Academy, work on the new website, and learn more about ministry and visioning in a large church) has been working on the Site Planning & Expansion Task Force. Since I arrived in 2006 we have been looking at and reflecting on our current space and the ministry to which God is calling Grace. It has been a joy to help bring together statistical data to describe and illuminate our situation. It has been a joy to hear of people’s visions for ministries.
I see Grace moving forward in a building project within a few years, if not in the coming year. I have been able to learn about and work through the capital campaign and initial drawings of the space we seek. My grief is that I won’t have the blessing of learning and helping to lead through the whole process. I am a guy who likes numbers, visioning, imagining spaces, conceiving of ways to bring transformation to people’s lives, …oh and blueprints! Especially blueprints! I will miss the difficulties and joys of seeing this possible project through and then helping Grace reach out in ministry and discipleship with this new tool. Blessings on the team who has been working on this for these past years.
Who knows, maybe building space for ministry is still in my future!
