Pastor's Word

Help us discern, Kind God, in all our doings, with your gracious favor, and your continual help, that our works begun, continued, and ended in you, will glorify your Holy Name!

What a busy summer it has been! We have moved the Clothing Center back across the hall to its former home, so we can have Asbury Hall to use for outside income streams. Our Clothing Center is an important outreach ministry for us and taking advantage of its planned closure during the month of July gave us the chance to prepare it for August ministry. Joan Witt and Sandy Terrell have worked hard to help this opportunity become a reality while maintaining the integrity of this vital ministry.

Asbury Hall will now be used for Christian Education on Sundays, and eventually utilized for meeting and theatre opportunities. I am told that in the “old days” there were many fellowship events in that room with its kitchen and stage. Work is needed to get it in order, so if you can help, please let the Trustees know.

Two weeks ago our parking lot was beautifully resurfaced and restriped, and our sharing plan for parking with Elmhurst College is ready to begin this month. This will be an important outside income stream, and we appreciate the work of those who negotiated this contract, namely Jim Rogers and Mark Baker. This is good stewardship of our resources.

Groups are in process moving stored items from Asbury and the downstairs “AV room” to other places such as the Oxford Room. When we painted that room last year, it was planned that the storage closets there could be used by many. Taking the opportunity to sort through our “stuff,” discarding what we don’t need and storing what we will use, will make us more efficient. We are finding many nooks and crannies in the church where things have been stored and forgotten. So we’re getting our house in order!

All this is to say that ministry takes place for us as individuals, for us as a congregation, and our building has a ministry too!

The physical plant work is happening parallel to visioning being done by our Strategy Team. You will be hearing more about this as we move through August. Our leadership has been working diligently to keep us moving forward.

I am grateful to our leadership, the visioning process, to all those who are helping with the physical plant  and to our staff members who have been involved with all facets of what is happening.

It is hard work, but it is exciting to see new paths opening for us as we creatively find new ways to do God’s work in this place. God is abundantly providing for our growth and for the ministry we have to offer to so many. And God is blessing us in the process.

See you in worship!

Rev. Norma Lee