The Joy of Seeing Glory Together
I took this sunrise photo from the shoulder of the I-205 bridge back in 2016. I had made an early run to Home Depot and this is what I saw when I headed back. I don’t know if pulling over on the bridge to snap a picture is illegal, but I would happily pay the fine. This glimpse of glory was worth it. Quite a few others clearly felt the same way because I noticed several others had done the same. They were total strangers to me, but I felt a sense of kinship with them and wished we could have talked together about this stunning vista that blessed our morning.
The joy of seeing glory together was the best thing about the Phase II dessert meetings. The third and final dessert was last Sunday night and it seemed to have the same atmosphere of joy we saw in the first two. Part of the joy can be traced to the tantalizing spread of top-notch desserts (“not made by Ryan Aufenkamp” was the running joke) and the sheer fun of having a fancier-than-usual event as a church family. We also laughed a lot together, whether at the Pastor Man song, funny memories of the old facility or the threat of more meetings with no dessert if we don’t raise enough money.
However, it was the vision of leaving an excellent facility and a legacy of disciple-making to the next generation that really excited those gathered. One person told me afterward that they had been in favor of Phase II coming in, but without a lot of zeal or conviction. But after the presentation she felt like she could really see the vision clearly and was now very excited about it. Interestingly, even though I was one of the presenters, these meetings helped me see the vision more clearly than I had to this point and I find myself all the more enthused for the project.
Nearly three-quarters of our church body attended one of the dessert meetings and we are so grateful. But there is still an opportunity to participate if you weren’t there. You can watch the recording of the presentation here and you can see the information packet here and pledge card here. Hard copies of the materials are available in the foyer at church. I encourage you to watch this soon and join us in marveling at the beautiful thing God is doing in our midst. We are asking everyone to return completed pledge cards by Sunday, November 13 to the to the Phase II pledge card dropbox in the church foyer.
Pastor Toby
Categories: Evergreen Connection