Have you signed the cross yet?

Yep, that big metal cross is the last of the large steel to be placed for our new Worship Center. Installation is scheduled for 10 AM, Monday, August 3. If you'd like to watch, park along Young Street on the south side of our property to get the best view. Dennis will conduct prayer over the cross before it is set and we'd love to have you there to adds yours as well! If you haven't signed the cross, come on by and do so! The last day to add your name, favorite scripture, prayer, etc. will be Sunday, August 2nd.

So what can we expect in the meantime? In just a few days, the floor of the mezzanine will be poured. This will provide a foundation for future expansion into the upper level of the Worship Center. Pouring the foundation now will save us a lot of time and money later when we grow into needing the extra balcony space.

After that comes the installation of steel studs for the walls. Brick will also be arriving soon, probably the week after VBS. In addition, the initial work to prepare for the paving of our parking lot and the installation of new sidewalks should commence the week after VBS as well. We are poised to see a lot of activity soon!

As you can see from the photos in the slideshow, the work being done right now is dangerous, so please continue praying for the safety of everyone on the work site. And if you're volunteering at VBS, please park at Wal-Mart and we'll have the shuttle bus bring you over each night. Thanks!

Wet weather can't dampen our spirits!

It might be one of the wettest summers we've had in recent memory, but our enthusiasm cannot be dimmed!

If you've driven by lately, you couldn't help but notice the large steel beams now in place on the concrete pad. The outline of the building is beginning to be visible from Hwy 160 as more and more steel is set. The rainy start to this week has slowed progress somewhat, but the workers are expected to be back on the job Wednesday, weather permitting.

Please continue to pray for the safety of all who are working to construct our new Worship Center. We want to be a blessing to them as they are blessing us with their skills.

We have a firm foundation!

In the wee hours of Friday morning, before the sun even peeked above the horizon, our construction crew was busy at work pouring the concrete pad which will be the foundation of our new building. In the midst of the darkness, they were awash in brightness brought in just for the purpose of lighting their way as they worked in the pre-dawn hours to beat not only the heat but the forecasted rain to complete the task as scheduled. As several people mentioned on their way in to services Sunday, "Now it's beginning to look like a building!"

As I reviewed the pictures of this amazing process, I couldn't help but think how true it is for us as followers of Christ. We, too, have a firm foundation, but one that wasn't poured with human hands. Our foundation is Christ, the stone the builders rejected which has become the capstone. "For in Scripture it says, 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (I Peter 2:6) We never have to be concerned about the future of our foundation, whether it is built to last or will fail to support us in the coming years. As long as our hope is built on the foundation of Christ, we can face whatever the future may hold without fear.

We, too, are workers united in a common purpose and laboring in a dark world. Yet we, too, are illuminated by the light of Christ as we "shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life." (Philippians 2:15-16)

I could draw more parallels between the "unsuitable" soil we have had to remove from the site (including the long-buried manure pile we inadvertently uncovered) and the unsuitable soil we sometimes find in our own hearts, those pockets of sin we try to hide until the Spirit excavates them for our cleansing, or the "good" soil we have had to bring in to prepare the site for the foundation and the good soil of a heart eager to receive the life-changing indwelling of Christ. I could even point out the correlation between the delays due to rain and the storms we face in life, both of which require patience and prayer to persevere. But I think I'll stop here.

As you watch each new stage of construction on our Worship Center, stop and consider the construction process that's been going on in your own life since you met the Cornerstone. I'll bet you find some parallels of your own. If you'd care to share, email us at info@aldersgatechurch.com or comment on this posting.

The scoop as of Monday, July 6

The foundation is complete and the plumber and electricians are working on getting all of the under-slab piping and conduit in place before they pour the concrete slab. They will be bringing in base rock in the next day or so and hope to pour the concrete slab by the end of this week. After that, we will start to see steel arriving onsite around July 15th. The workers are also getting ready to start trenching for the storm water piping and the fire sprinkler contractor has been installing his water main to the building.

If all goes according to plan we should start seeing steel going up by the end of the month. Before long it will begin to look like a real building!

Our thanks to Flintco for filling the crater in the center lane of the driveway with gravel until later in the process when the driveway can be redone, and for making sure we have a walkway cleared between the CLC and Aldersgate House.

Our continuing thanks to the families who are parking at Wal-Mart and taking the shuttle bus to worship on Sundays. Your flexibility and cooperation during this process is greatly appreciated! Thanks also to our volunteer bus drivers who keep making the loop until everyone is returned to their vehicles each week.

Let's keep praying and showing hospitality to one another and everyone who comes to this church we call Aldersgate.