March 22, 2007

The Power of Vision

Last week one of the subcommittees of the Building Committee spent a long evening interviewing architects. They all had very impressive power point presentations, but the opening slide of one of the presentations jolted us all. It was a picture looking south on Coit Rd. at such an angle that you could see the intersection with Parker, and also our church site. What startled us was the fact that it had been taken over ten years ago. Coit was two lanes, the 14 acres where our church now sits was just an open field, and there were only a few homes in the background to the south.

Frankly, I was dumbfounded. The past ten years have flown by so quickly, and the growth has been so dynamic, that I don't think any of us sitting in that room fully appreciated what has happened. From an open field to 1800 in worship, 1000 in Sunday School, House on the Corner, Project Hope, Recreational Ministries, enormous Children's and Youth ministries...I could go on and on. How did it all happen so quickly?

As I have thought about it, it is clear to me that it is a story about the power of vision. It is a story about how the members of a relatively small congregation caught a glimpse of God's vision for their church and their city, and they started dreaming about how to make it a reality. It was about much more than land or buildings or architectural style. It was about how we could serve God, bring more people to Jesus Christ, and help our neighbors who are in need. By the time we broke ground, nearly every single member of Christ Church had caught the vision and participated in the dream. The rest, as they say, is history.

This is an invitation. I want the "de facto" Building Committee to have 7,000 members. I'm asking you to dream with us. Think of the possibilities for ministry that await the next decade at Christ Church. Think about how a new sanctuary and expanded facilities will invite more people into the unique family that we share at CUMC, and how those new family members will create even more ministry and mission. And let us hear from you. In the next few weeks you will hear of the many ways in which your voice can be heard. Please don't be shy, click here to share it now. If we dream and build together we can make the next decade just as exciting as the past one!