The Building Has Color

We are about 2 months in to the remodeling project at the new building and I wanted to give you an update. All the major construction projects are done except for stage, bathroom remodel, exterior double door entry, and exterior deck and ramp. Every part of the building received at least one coat of paint and the offices, nursery, kitchen, and main worship walls are completely done! Which means, we can start on flooring in the offices this week and should be able to start moving things in there by next Saturday. Hopefully our first service in the building will be March 30 and our Grand Opening/Anniversary Service will be April 6. So mark that date on your calendar to come and celebrate with us. There are already five that have expressed the desire to be baptized at that service and there will be a catered lunch to follow.
Huge, huge thank you to all the volunteers who have served so faithfully. If I were to guess, I think our volunteers will have saved us close to $100,000 by the time the project is finished. I love our church and how all of you have stepped up to give and serve!

Foyer

Nursery Doors

Offices

Rich painting Worship Center Walls

Rocky painting Worship Center Walls

Worship Center

Zussette painting Foyer Walls

Walls are starting to go up...

First I want to thank everyone who helped with the work day on Saturday. There was so much old building material to toss (insulation, ceiling tiles, cabinets) that we completely filled the 40 cu ft dumpster and then some. Yesterday the walls started going up and I've included shots of the media booth and half wall in the new nursery. Also we come texturing done in the offices. We believe we are still on track for holding our first service the first Sunday in March. We should be ready for a large work day on Saturday, February 8. This will be a work day for everyone including landscaping, painting, flooring and exterior work. More details will be announced on Sunday.

The Remodel Has Started!

Just about one year ago we got word that MSC's current location was being sold. We weren't sure where we were going to go. Doors seemed to open and then quickly close. But God was faithful to provide us with a new home. In November, we signed a new 5 year lease with the Newark Unified School District for our new facility at 37490 Birch Street. For the last 6 weeks we have raised funds to remodel the new facility and today the work got started! I am so thankful for the team of people who have stepped up to help with the remodel. Big, big thank you to Greg and Miles Zimmerman. At their  own expense, they brought a team of guys from their business (Miles and Sons) to start demolition. 

Front View of Building

Preliminary plan

3D Image

Merry Christmas!

Great Day At The Junior High Club!

As many of you know, our church has partnered with Young Life to host an after school club at the Newark Junior High. Today, we took all the kids over to Love At First Slice loveatfirstslicepizza.com (they give us an awesome deal and have really good pizzas as well). Usually we have lots of fun activities and then have someone give a short testimony but today the focus was on the talk. It was really cool to get to share with about 30 Junior Highers that they are important and valuable. Not because of who they are or what they can do but simply because they were created by God and made in His image. Big thanks to Drew for leading this club. He is doing a great job. And big thanks to Carol and Joshua for faithfully volunteering. Also, don't want to forget our really awesome high schoolers that volunteer as well!

The Pain of Pastoring

One of my best friends recently posted this on his blog. It really captures how I find myself feeling so many times. So I thought I would just repost his thoughts and write "ditto."

The Pain of Pastoring

by Greg Peters

For some time I have had some thoughts rolling around on my heart that I am going to articulate for my own processing and also as a way for me to share my heart with you. I am thinking that I will take a couple posts and share a few different parts of pastoring that cause me pain. I also believe that you may be able to easily associate with similar pain in your own lives.

One of the biggest pains of pastoring is when people leave the church! Just earlier today I left a voicemail for a friend who used to attend Parkview. Not only was I close with this guy but so were our families close. I watched the family experience Life Change, in fact, I recall baptizing every member of the family at different times. I also remember when the husband lost his job…I remember walking that road…helping him be ok with being lied about and fired without cause…he moved to another state.  About a week ago I called a friend who used to attend Parkview. He is one of the most godly men I know. I saw incredible leadership potential within this man and prayed we would minister together for years…he moved to another state. On a regular basis I see posts and comments from former Parkview congregants on Facebook. Just today I saw a funny post from a former church leader, they said something about their son, who was friends with my son…they moved…my son cried that day.

Just in case you wonder if the only pain that is felt is when someone moves – that is not the case. On other occasions people have left without moving and that hurts too – sometimes more. Here are a few things that come to mind:

• they leave and can’t really explain why
• they leave because God is leading
• they leave because somebody has hurt them
• they leave because their spouse is pushing the issue
• they leave because they quit on God
• they leave without saying anything
• they leave and don’t want to meet and discuss
• they leave because they have other needs
• I am not sure I care to continue to think of more reasons or situations

I am friends with a number of pastors and some at a very deep level. They all feel the same way and have experienced all of the above…I am not alone. Without crying and whinning I would state that I have something unique that I deal with that many, not all, of my pastor friends do not – I pastor in a city that has an extreme amount of turnover. Palm Coast is transient unlike many other cities – if you live here you know what I mean, if you don’t I will spare you the details.

To be clear, I am not blaming those who leave, nor do I fault them. I am just talking about my feelings – it hurts; if it didn’t then I guess I should get another job. I believe the Lord gives the shepherd a shepherd’s heart. I also greatly appreciate all those who have grieved with me in their departure.

Better to have loved and “lost” than to have never loved at all.

A Little Bit Of Everything

Summer has come and gone (always a little too fast IMO). The kids are back in the school routine. And I'm finally getting back on routine (like posting on my blog). It's been a while so I thought catching up on everything would be a good idea.

Mega Sports Camp - We had our largest group of kids 70+. I think the best part for me was seeing how many great volunteers gave their time to make this event happen. I'm guessing that it took about 500 volunteer hours to make this happen. But every hour was worth it. We have seen a few of these families come back to church a few times and been able to connect many of the kids with our children's ministry.



Vacation - I always plan our end of summer vacation right after Mega Sports Camp because Cecil and I are always desperately in need of a break when the week is over. For the 6th time we headed out to Angels Camp, CA. People always ask us, "What's out in Angel's Camp?" The answer is "Nothing." That's why we go :) Our week if filled with swimming, eating, watching tv/movies, walking around downtown, and not much more. This is one vacation that always refreshes and renews us. I look forward to the slow mornings drinking coffee on patio overlooking the golf course and getting to catch up with Cecil.

End of Summer BBQ & Baptism - As aways, baptisms are really the highlight of our ministry. It is always a great joy to watch as others proclaim the Lordship of Jesus and publicly identify themselves as  His followers. This one was especially meaningful as I was able to baptize a good friend of mine who has attended our church from its very beginning. When he first started attending he was far from Jesus but over the years God has worked in his heart through relationships, sermons, small groups, and lots of conversations. I think that baptizing him was one of the most powerful moments I've ever enjoyed!

Church Building - as many of you have heard our current location is being sold. We have been praying for the past 6 months that God would open the door for another facility. This Sunday I shared a few of the details about a possible site. I believe that God has answered our prayers and opened up a fabulous opportunity. This new site will require a lot of work upfront but the end result should be awesome.