Power is In

One of the developments over the fall/winter was that we finally had our electric hooked up to the building. The line is just over land right now, as they won't bury the line until after the septic is dug. But it's great to be able to have lights and heat!

Still here...

For obvious reasons, blogging about the church has been non-existent.  Well, I hope they're obvious:
1.  The recent addition to the blogger's family has left said blogger with little to no extra time!
2.  Not a whole lot has been happening with the building project over the winter!

The church body has been meeting in the school gym, free of charge, and it has been a blessing to have space large enough in which to meet.  However, we are all anxiously awaiting having a home base once again! 

I am surprised to see how many people have been stopping in to check on progress, and my apologies for the lack of updates!  Please keep us in your prayers...for safety for the teams working, for finances to finish the project, for ministry that the living body is doing while its building is being built!

Doors!

The front doors were finally delivered and installed! I should look back and see when they were expected...certainly much earlier than mid-September! But that's okay...they're on before winter, so it's all good!

Kids' Program

Throughout the summer, we had a Sunday evening fellowship/study time every week. While the adults were in various Bible study groups, Keith and Kristin (bless their hearts!), took all of the kids to lead them in their own worship time! It was incredibly successful...the kids really got their hearts into the worship time, and a lot of kids were coming and hearing the Word...we had over 20 kids most Sundays!
At the end of the summer, they shared some of their songs with us...what a blessing!

Church Moving Day!

The day we felt like would never arrive, did...there were new owners waiting to "take possession" of our trusty, too small, ready-to-fall-through-the-floor, old building. We had been moving out bit by bit, but Sunday September 5th was our last service there. We closed the service with a jubliant singing of "The Trees of the Field," and then the work began.















For some reason, we were all fond of this huge rock on the propert. It had sat out by the roadside tree, as a marker that we envisioned would someday have etched a cross or the ten commandments or something significant. We wanted to take the rock. The 500 pound rock. Or maybe only 475 pounds...opinions differ. Regardless, with great might and groaning, the rock was loaded into Tommy's truck. It wouldn't slide well, so it wouldn't budge far enough to close the gate of the pickup. It think you know what happens next. The truck turned out onto the road, and the rock promptly bounced right out and landed in the middle of the road! More might and groaning...and when when the rock fell and landed on Tommy's leg, it was as if angels were instantly there and boom-just like that, the rock was in the truck. With the gate closed. It now sits by the roadside tree at the new property, and when a stone carver and an agreed-upon idea come together in the same place, well, it might be great. Not worth it at all if Tommy hadn't made a fabulous recovery. But I'm sure it was a bonding experience for the men of the church, right?

















The rest of the stuff was packed up and hauled out, and then taken to the fantastic new shed on the new property, which is now stuffed to its gills, as is the bus. And we got rid of A LOT of stuff.




















Everyone pitched in, and soon it was just our voices bouncing around with little else to do. It was nearly 3 p.m. by the time we were done, and somehow, after a full days work packed into an afternoon with no lunch, we all ended up at the lodge! And we were all feeling about like this...



















In some ways, we're now a bit like the Israelites, wandering in the wilderness...

Electrical Work

Chugach was here early in September to do the outside electrical work, connecting the church property to the electric pole on the neighbor's property. It's at times like these, when they have to dig up a yard to do what they need to do, that it's a good thing the neighbors are church members...

(And for you observant ones, yes-Jacob's coat is inside out.  He was in too much of a hurry to see the little tractor at work)!

If you build it..

This is where we're at right now...it is still astounding to think that this was just the shell of a building 10 short weeks ago.
This top picture is taken from the hallway, looking towards the front of the sanctuary.



















This picture is taken from the stage looking towards the hallway and front door.



















This is the fellowship hall/large Sunday School room that's off the back of the sanctuary.