December 6, 2007
I want to share with you a little-known story out of the annals of Christ Church history. It took place during the terrible recession of the late eighties. This was during the collapse of the Savings and Loan industry, and 20 out of 21 banks in Plano went out of business. One of them was the City National Bank, located on 15 Street, and that building came onto the market at a fraction of the price that would be required to build it new.
Christ Church had decided to relocate and a group of leaders went and looked at the building. It would have provided the kind of quality administrative and educational space that most churches just can't afford to build, and the price was right. After touring the building these leaders met in the back room of a local restaurant and discussed the possibilities. We were all ambivalent until one of our finest leaders, Robert Nelson, spoke up and said something that I have never forgotten. He said, "I'm absolutely in favor of relocating our church, and this is a great building, but there isn't room to build a great sanctuary. I'm not willing to relocate unless we are planning to build a great sanctuary." We all knew that he was right, and that ended the discussion. The building was later purchased by the Plano Independent School District, and every family in Plano has been the beneficiary of that opportunity.
That was the beginning of the dream. Today, almost 20 years later, we stand on the brink of completing the dream. The building that has been designed by the Building Committee is, by any standards, a great sanctuary, both functional and extraordinarily beautiful. It is in the tradition of Christian communities that have, for 2,000 years, built edifices that magnify the creator, that reflect the beauty of the creation, and that provide a place to worship for God's people. But it is much more than that. This sanctuary will enable Christ Church to reach out to more people, bringing them to Christ and assisting them on their spiritual journey. Additionally, we know from our own history that it will enable our missions and ministries to grow even more. Whenever Christ Church has built, attendance and financial resources have grown, but missions and ministries have grown even more.
Recently, that moment in the back room of that little café has been on my mind because today we find ourselves at another pivotal moment in our history. We hold in our hands the opportunity to complete the vision of those who started us on our journey so many years ago, and whose gifts and sacrifices have brought us to this place. May our children one day look back and say about us, "Well done. Well done."
