It has been 2 weeks plus a day since fire destroyed our church building. Those 14 days have been filled to overflowing with phone calls, lists of things to do and driving around the countryside trying to get a lot of things done in just a short amount of time!
I have been overwhelmed by the expressions of care and concern for our church from both the members of Havelock Wesleyan, the community at large and our Wesleyan family across the Atlantic District and North America. Many folks have called, sent emails or posted on Facebook questions of "What can I do to help?" and comments like "So sorry to hear about the fire." Those questions and comments have not gone unnoticed and in fact, have been deeply appreciated! Thank you!
In the days since the fire, much has happened that will in all likelihood change the face of our church forever. We had an outdoor service on the first Sunday, braving the cold and wind to share a final farewell to a building that has been home to our congregation for 57 years. It was a great time of worship with our District Superintendent David LeRoy in attendance to share a few words and lead us in communion. We heard from many of our congregation as they shared testimonies of memories from the past and expectation for the futre. Words of encouragement from community and fire department members were also shared and appreciated. Many of the 170 people gathered joined us for a fellowship time in the parsonage following the service. All in all, it was a great day!
That service was followed by a week of busyness as much effort was put out by many men and women to prepare our new meeting place at the Weymouth A. D. Lab. When we went in for a look around Monday morning, I wasn't sure it could be pulled together in just a few days, but the hard work of many paid off and this past Sunday morning we met for the first of many times in this new facility. It is a great space and I am looking forward to meeting God in some awesome ways there!
As we look ahead, we are not sure of what the next several months hold. A building committee has been established with Earl Prime, Larry Sabine, Terry Stone, Allan Mullen, Rodney Mullen, Victoria Brooks and Rollie Gidney. These folks will be given the huge task of coming up with a plan that will be presented to our church for consideration. But there is much to do and it will take time and effort form all.
In all of this, prayer is key. Without prayer, we will simply flounder around ineffectively trying to put something together. So my challenge to you as a church family is to pray. And when you think you have prayed enough, pray again! Pray for God's leading, for unity in our members, for wisdom for our board, for our finances, for growth, for God's presence with us.
Somebody has said to me in just the last few days, "Rebuilding is exciting but we need to be so careful that in the building process we don't lose sight of Kingdom building!" This is so true. When our new church building is finished and we are ready to move in, it would be wonderful if we could make that move with 100 or more new faces among us.
There are some challenges ahead. But there are also opportunities. And I for one am excited about where we are going. And I hope that you will be a part of it!
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