Wear and Tear

"It is finished!" is what they said when the saw was finally still, the hammer put away, the paintbrush cleaned, and the polyurethane dried. (See blog post of February 4.)

The trustees definitely celebrated this accomplishment at their first meeting in February. In addition, they couldn't help but think of Bill Hansen, their head trustee, who did not live to see this. Bill, a man with a servant's heart, had spearheaded much of the work that was done to build this new complex containing a spacious gym and fellowship hall, beautiful new tables, classrooms newly painted, carpeting clean and fresh, bathrooms and fountain polished clean, a shining kitchen filling the air with delicious smells, and most importantly a sanctuary filled with men and women, youth and kids, lifting their voice in praise to the God who gives us life.

I wonder what Bill would say now if he walked around to survey the building and assess its needs. Would he see the the finished brightness or would he be distressed by the obvious "details of trusteeship" and see only the:

• Fresh black heel scuffs on the gym floor?
• The dings in the sheet rock in the hallway?
• The nail hole behind the information center?
• The damaged wall on the left side of the stage?
• The rust on the floor in the far corner of the Cedar room?
• The crayon marks on the table in the nursery?
• The fingerprints on the entrance doors?
• The packed snow on the doorstep of the east entrance?
• The garbage can full of dirty drink cups and paper plates?
• Dust in the sound booth?
• Library books spilling out of the book return basket?
• The empty "candy drawer" at the Information Center?
• The coffee stains at the Welcome Desk?
• Chairs in the sanctuary weaving oddly askew in a none-too-perfect arrangement?
• The refrigerator "packed" to the max?
• The toys scattered in the nursery?
• The water splashes around the drinking fountain?

No, I don't think so, not at all! Bill would see each little mar as a sign that this building is throbbing with life and fulfilling the job it was designed to do.

• The black heel scuffs on the gym floor are proof that Gary's class was having a good time.
• The dings in the hallway are proof that a large crowd was filling the corridor on Sunday morning.
• The nail hole behind the information center was made to hang the deer head during the Northwoods Revue and would soon be used to display something else.
• The damaged wall on the left side of the stage was rubbed raw by the suspenders of our energetic drummer during a performance to a packed house.
• The rust on the far corner of the Cedar room is only proof that Debbie's class had a successful craft and the cleanup mop spilled a bit of moisture under the cabinet. It will wear off.
• The crayon marks on the table in the nursery was made by a happy three year old designing a work of art.
• The fingerprints on the entrance doors were made by the 75 kids racing to catch the bus after Release Time on Wednesday morning.
• The packed snow on the doorstep of the east entrance was tromped down by the 168 entrances and exits in and out of the prayer room during winter snows during a week of prayer.
• A garbage can full of dirty drink cups and paper plates is proof of the expanding youth activities on Wednesday evenings.
• Dust in the sound booth is a result of the magnetic draw to "little particles of nothing" when music and life is pulsing through those electrical wires.
• Library books spilling out of the book-return basket only indicates that someone was reading inspirational literature.
• The empty "candy drawer" at the information center is proof that kids love to be loved.
• The coffee stains at the Welcome Desk were made by the jostling crowd after church, talking, laughing, building a brotherhood and family of believers.
• Chairs in the sanctuary weaving oddly askew in a none-too-perfect arrangement means that each chair was warmed by a worshiper several times this week.
• The refrigerator "packed" to the max with foodstuff is in anticipation for the next youth fundraiser.
• The toys scattered in the nursery are for the "church-of-tomorrow," the little ones who are always welcome.
• The water splashes around the drinking fountain are a symbol of people who are not just thirsting for water, but thirsting for righteousness.

So yeah, of course, the trustees are gratified to see the pulsing signs of life. We will just keep fixing every spot, each scuff, the bumps, those drips. God is definitely using this place, and we will do are best to take care of it.

"Oh no, we are NOT finished! Out comes that hammer, out comes that saw, and let's see, where did they put those paintbrushes?

Contributed by Doris Yoder, trustee