A Celebration
October 28th, 2011
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In one of my favorite fiction books, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, a young prior named Philip sets out to expand his 12th century priory into a cathedral. The young prior’s ambition is fueled by the intense need of the Kingsbridge community and the willingness of the townspeople to sacrifice their lives for the effort. It is a huge project; so huge, in fact, that Tom the Builder, the man who commences construction, does not live to see it completed. Instead, it is his son, Jack, that lays the final stone. As I think about celebrating the completion of the latest ambitious building project at Red Clay, I am especially mindful of how some of the people that began the project will not be here to celebrate the completion. Some, like Rev. Dr. Ed Brandt and Wayne and Kathy Surles, moved away. And others, like Bob Holdway and Steve Armstrong, who gave a copious amount of their time to make our facility grow, died before they could see it finished. We enjoy a church building that was born by the bold and creative efforts of these people. That said, as in the story of Kingsbridge - where Jack picked up where his father left off, there is a wide cast of characters carrying the plans to completion. For instance, a great many of us contributed to the latest capital campaign. Jim Ahrens and Ray Krout are at the church almost everyday overseeing the operation. John Gast and Kathy Mowczan serve as financial managers of the operation. Men like Charles Tielleman, Al Leonhard, Bob Rafferty, Phil Worrell, Bob Kissell, Ed Howard, Tom Bazzoli, and Bill Singleton spent countless hours laying cable and pulling wiring. The list of volunteer contributors goes on and on. On November 13, we will do our best to celebrate all of this effort. To that end, I am very pleased to say that we will be joined by one of the men that helped us start the fundraising aspect of the project in 2005: United States Senator Chris Coons. In 2005, Senator Coons keynoted one of our fundraising dinners and shared his personal experience of his childhood at Red Clay. He spoke about growing up a few blocks from the church and the impact that the building and programs had on his life formation. On November 13 (10 am service only), Senator Coons will serve as our guest preacher and lead us in officially opening our newest brick-and-mortar commitment to childhood, growth, and new life. Wherever you fit into the story of this project - whether you have been here since the plans were being devised or you have just jumped aboard recently - we hope that you will join us. Grace and peace, Nate |
November 13 8:30 AM - John Moore preaching 10:00 AM - Sen. Chris Coons preaching followed by building dedication 6:00 PM - The Cornerstone 7:00 PM - Mission Trips Celebration with public presentation of Rev. Nate’s doctoral thesis |
