We have big God questions before us, “What is God calling us to do?” “Is it time for us to build?” “What kind of facility has the potential to release the most benefit to the most people in this season?” “What will honor God, draw others to Jesus and bless the world?”
Why now? We are approaching our fourth year of not having enough space for children and youth on Wednesday nights and many Sunday mornings. In August of 2014, our attendance jumped with the addition of the new 500-seat sanctuary. The sanctuary space continues to work well for us. However, if you are involved on Wednesday nights or if you enter the chapel during the sermon time, you know our current ministry space is limiting our ability to reach, serve and grow our little ones in Christ-likeness. While this may sound like hyperbole to you, we simply needed to stop the high energy “Children’s Chapel” because 110 first through fifth graders in one space became overwhelming to many of our littlest souls. Not only do we need more space, we need different kinds of spaces. Most of our rooms in the original building are too small for the size of groups we have now.
Recognizing this challenge and remembering our growth pains following our last expansion, Acts 2’s church leadership was proactive in studying the double-digit growth projections surrounding our corner at Penn and Covell. In 2016, your Administrative Council voted to create a building committee to study our current and future needs and the needs of the families who are and will be surrounding the church in the next 10 years.
We are incredibly blessed to have members of our church family with professional expertise leading us. Morgan Jones, our building chair, is an architect. Jeff Hedrick comes out of decades of corporate finance and now serves as our business administrator. Joetta Myers is one of the most respected teachers in Edmond and knows what it takes to educate students. We are incredibly blessed to have her leading our children’s ministry. These leaders and many more of our church staff and members have dedicated themselves “to help non-religious and non-active Christians become radical Christ followers.” Hundreds, if not thousands, of hours have been put in to get us to this point of discernment. I hope you will honor their work, your church’s purpose and the future ministry that awaits us by attending and fully participating.
When we get to these big decision points in the life of the church, I am haunted by Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” One of the ways we as a church validate, triple check and know whether God is in our next step is by asking you (the people of God) what you are seeing and hearing from God and the world. What do you need? What do your friends need? How can we as the people of God bless those around us? What do you sense God saying? Does this vision make sense for this mission field at this time?
I’m excited to find out! Imagine with me the ability to call up a few of your friends from church and a few of your friends from work and go play a game of basketball at your church! What are the conversations that happen after the game? What prayers are offered up to God for families, children and marriages?
Imagine with me that we, you and I, could provide the only faith-based full childcare facility for young families on the west side of Edmond, Deer Creek and NW OKC. Imagine helping a single mom who needs before school care or after school care in order to keep her job. Can you sense the relief of the child who no longer has to be bussed across town? Can you hear the shouts of joy at basketball games, volleyball games, fellowship dinners and youth lock-ins? Can you imagine asking someone, “Do you know my church Acts 2?” and they respond, “I sure do! Acts 2 is the place where my oldest plays soccer, my youngest is in the childcare there and it is where my husband and I found Jesus! My best friends, best memories and best times of my life happened there.” Can you imagine that? I can.
Pastor Mark
