Mobile Church

“All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD.” – Exodus 35:29 (ESV)

[I wrote the following several weeks ago…..]

            As I write this, it is the morning after our church’s first Sunday in borrowed space – the cafeteria at McMurray middle school.  For several years now we have wanted to remodel and improve our building.  Raising the necessary finances to do so has been a challenge.  But God has provided for us and is working out the details in his own perfect way.  We have finally been able to begin the remodel of our building’s basement, where the kitchen, fellowship hall, classrooms, nursery and restrooms are.  It is exciting to see things begin to happen!

            To cut costs, our church’s leadership and building committee decided to do the majority of the demolition work in the basement ourselves, as a congregation.  Day by day for the last two weeks, men and women who were able have come by to clean, pack, take down doors, knock out walls, and scrape stucco ceilings.  Pastor Frank and I have even put down our books (every so often, at least!) to do our part in the process as well.  It is a wonderful thing to see God’s people all come together to get the job done!

            Yesterday morning [i.e., Sunday May 22nd] we brought our instruments and sound system, our coffee pots and snacks, our Bibles and bulletins, and took time as a family to set up for church, worship the living God together, and take everything back down again.  This morning as I read my Bible, I was struck by God’s commandments to the Israelites as they prepared to build the Tabernacle – basically a mobile temple made of wood and animal skins.  God commanded that the donations for the Tabernacle, the priests’ robes, the gold utensils, and the altars be on the basis of “everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him” (Exodus 35:21).  People needed to give, and craftsmen needed to build, and the skilled women needed to weave and create, but God wanted it all to be done by willing hearts.  And God stirred in our hearts yesterday.  What a blessing.

            If you want to be a part of things, to learn more about God, or simply to be among his (far from perfect) people, you’re welcome to join us.  Earlier I said that we worshiped God “as a family” yesterday.  Well, families aren’t perfect, and it takes time to feel like a family.  But family is always happy to see new faces around the house.  So consider our doors open to you, even if those doors happen to be the doors of McMurray middle school for the next couple of months.  You’re always welcome.