blogs grow...

church buildings grow too

That's Central Community's Welcome Building. When I came to Central Community, just over 20 years ago, people in the church referred to it as "the chicken coop." I'd been here a year or two before I discovered that it was never really a chicken coop. It'd just been built on a severe budget with a design aimed at simplicity... a shed... just an old chicken coop. The building would never be mistaken for a chicken coop today. Over the years it's been changed a bit at a time... the picture above was taken 5 or 6 years ago during one of the buildings many upgrades.

Ken, our Associate Pastor, the one with real knowledge about building, pointed out to me long ago that we'd have been better off just to tear the thing down and build new. He's right of course. But the process has been such fun.

It's the way I feel about my blog. It's a little welcome into my life... for whatever it's worth. Started simple and it's grown: song of the day, deal of the day, joke of the day, weather, news, links, verse of the day, photos, movies... facets of media development we never imagined just a decade ago and it continues to grow as my knowledge base expands. Occasionaly someone will ask why I spend the time on it and I think of that "chicken coop" and how much joy it's been to watch it transition into Central Community's front door.

That's where the blog's going: blogs grow. Hope you'll stick with me for the joy, the journey, the invitation into a little bit more of how God's working in our ministry, our world, our family, me. Maybe you'll start a blog of your own. If so, email a link so I can clue into your journey from time to time. God created us to do this together.

blessings,

Eric

Who Knows Where The Time Goes?

Watch the video- it's a piece of our church history. This week we celebrate 75 years as a church in Riverside, California. Just 15 years ago we paid a hunk of change in pre-PC video editing days to have this made. We bought 1,000 copies and passed them out in the community, hoping to give people a look at who we were and what we did without having to venture any further than their VCR. We didn't have a great response but it sure is a cool bit of history... maybe just for those of us who know the people in the video... but it was a wild time in the church at large.

Worship was changing... we'd gone from a choir, organ and hymns to a praise band! Months after the video was made we changed the name of the church! Not to mention you'd have to go back to '93 to find pictures of me wearing a tie at anything other than a wedding or funeral. Church was changing... it was changing us and we felt like we were on the edge of "A Great Awakening!" We sang about it.

From a historical perspective... better yet, from God's perspective, I'm guessing these changes that seemed so radical at the time will be judged by their fruit: was The Love of God lifted up? I know when we spent the $9 or $10,000- we really didn't have -to make this video, sharing His love and building His church was at the top of our list. I hope you can feel a little of that as you watch it.

From a pastor's perspective, I look at the people, miss the one's who've gone to be with God, smile at those still with Central Community- looking so young and bright -and wonder about those we've lost contact with. It was a fun time in our ministry. We wouldn't be where we are today without those important steps of outreach in the early '90's.

From a personal perspective, aren't my kids cute? Can't believe the mullet I was sporting. And Debi... always beautiful. Our kids still work with us at the church. John, the cute little guy with glasses, is now our youth pastor. Julia, the beautiful girl with long hair who looks just like her mom, runs our offices and works with our children's small groups. Debi and me? We're still doing what we do... and if I had the money in pocket... I might not make another video, but I hope I'd still try to stay on the cutting edge of growing God's church. It's worth it! He's too good.

blessings,

Eric