The Already and Not Yet of Phase II
Dear EBC Family,
October 6 was a significant milestone for the Evergreen Bible Church family: We received our official Temporary Occupancy permit for Phase Two! Now we can finally use the new facility space that has been under construction for the last year. The youth group christened the new Commons space two days later as the first official ministry activity in the new space. Pastor Jacob even did a ribbon cutting ceremony and the students whooped and cheered with appropriate enthusiasm. (And then the children’s ministry used the new classrooms for the first time this past weekend!)
This milestone represents lots of earnest prayer, generous giving, and hard work and we are excited to celebrate what God has done! Come celebrate with us this Sunday, October 26, at 6pm. We are calling it the Mini Grand Opening.
The reason for the ‘Mini’ designation is that there are still a lot of important finishing touches yet to be done. Room signage is in the works. Suitable garbage cans and clocks are being researched and installed. Wi-fi hardware and software are still in process, and some of the sound gear is yet to be installed. There is a long (and sometimes overwhelming) list of tasks still waiting to be done before the new space is fully ready for service.
The state of our construction project is a wonderful picture of ‘the already and not yet’ of God’s kingdom work in this world. God has given us Temporary Occupancy of this world through the completed work of Christ on the cross. Salvation has come! Forgiveness of sins has been paid for, our adoption as sons and daughters is now official, and the indwelling Holy Spirit has been given. The ‘already’ of God’s kingdom is glorious!
But everyone can easily see God’s work is not yet done. We are still waiting for the consummation of his kingdom when the presence of sin is fully banished, the pain and struggle of life is done, and we see Jesus face to face. Scripture declares the best is yet to come, and so we press on in God’s kingdom work with hope and joy.
This Sunday evening we will celebrate ‘the already and not yet’ of Phase II. We will sing songs of praise, enjoy pictures of the process, hear updates on next steps, and dedicate the space to God’s kingdom work. I hope you will join us!
Pastor Toby
