After worship this Sunday there is a very special meeting at 11:15 a.m. in Congregational Hall. The Renovations Committee will give an update on the Education Building, and show the most recent design plans for the upcoming work on the Ministries Center, the Atrium which will connect the Ministries Center and Sanctuary, the Memorial Garden’s planned expansion and beautification, and the Sanctuary’s stained glass windows that need to be repaired. The meeting will be informative and exciting, and I encourage you to attend.
All this revitalization of our campus – the renovations, the attention to deferred maintenance, and the new spaces being created to better serve our ministry needs – have been made possible by the gracious generosity of this congregation. We are grateful to everyone who has pledged to the This Time, This Place capital campaign. We are indebted to Eric Swanson and Martin Bond, co-chairs of the Renovations Committee, and to its members who are investing long hours to oversee this work. We are also grateful to the Continuation Committee members, ably chaired by Paul Bergsteinsson, who are thanking donors, following up with those who made pledges, and who are continuing some fundraising efforts so that everyone has the opportunity to participate in this exciting chapter of the church’s life.
While our church is under construction, I am reminded of how the great theologian C.S. Lewis described the Christian life as being under construction. Lewis wrote:
Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.
We are not trying to turn our already beautiful and spacious campus into anything more grand, and so this “cottage” into a “palace” metaphor is not a perfect parallel for our church’s renovation work. However, in our work to improve hospitality, access, accessibility and to improve our spaces for future ministry, BMPC’s current construction project is all about imagining ourselves as a living house where God has come and is rebuilding us for more faithful Christian service.
Please join us on Sunday to hear an update on the ways our church under construction will enhance our vision for mission and ministry!
