(ALWAYS) UNDER CONSTRUCTION

There was a time when I would drive down I-65 and I-75 puzzled by the frequent construction projects on the roadway. Traffic would slow, lanes would change, and we would wonder when the road was going to be “done.”  After years of this it finally dawned on me that highways are nearly always in the middle of some kind of repair work or construction. Upgrades are required, the deck of a bridge needs replacing and the cloverleaf that worked in 1978 is inadequate now. Highways are—somewhere—always under construction.

And so it is with those living, breathing, evolving communities we know as congregations.

We work hard, lay leaders and members and ministry teams and pastors, and we move forward. Shalom is begun, The Open Door is launched, Jubilee begins to reach college students and other young adults, worship schedule changes are made, leaders work through “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations,” staff go off for continuing education…we change, we grow, God builds. The construction is never done.

We’re always, in a sense, on the way. Paul would say we are pressing on with our eyes looking out ahead.

This is true right now in very obvious ways at First UMC/The Open Door. The old post office building is about to come down, dirt and grass seed will be brought in, the pavement will be repaired and lined. Down the road we’ll make long-term decisions about what to do with the land so its use fits our God- given mission.

Soon we’ll be signing a contract and work on the courtyard project. This will include a labyrinth, peace garden, columbarium, and water feature (fountain).

We’re under construction in other ways. Like other large churches, we are often in the middle of staff changes; people are leaving and new people are coming. Darren Wright is moving down the road, a search committee is looking for a new director of youth and young adults, and Pastor Mary will be moving over to Nashville, Indiana.

Our staff is in the middle of a conversation about how we can develop a pastoral care plan that will utilize the gifts of caring lay people. The Church Council on Monday will hear me say I believe our congregation needs to enter into a two year visioning process called Fruitful Congregations. We need to be clear about who we are, whose we are, our particular setting, and our mission in this place.

Being under construction is exciting. And it is tiring. Change is good. Change is stressful.

As a driver you finally come to terms with the reality that the roads are almost always under construction. And that is true with the church. We are always on the way…making new discoveries, finding new paths, reinventing what once worked well, but isn’t so effective anymore.

Hebrews 3 points out that every house is built by someone. God, the Bible says, is the builder of everything. Jesus was faithful to God, Hebrews 3:6 says, and “We are his house if we hold on to the confidence and the pride that our hope gives us.”

See you in the construction zone!

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark