November Update

It has been two weeks since Laura and I closed on the old neighborhood grocery store building on River Street. So it is official: 148 River Street will be the first home of the Redemption Movement church plant!
I have filmed a walk-through video and will post it on the blog very soon. But as the video will show, this building fits the definition of a "fixer-upper." For the past month I have been consumed with getting the place repaired and ready for Laura and I to move into the apartment portion on the second floor...in six days!

As I type to you with rust stained hands from working on the plumbing, I can't help but feel like Tom Hanks from the classic movie "Money Pit." Although my situation is not nearly as extreme, I sympathize with Tom in finding new projects around every corner that need to be fixed while my faithful and sweet wife tries to make the best of it.



I think this property will be a blessing to the new church in a variety of ways.
1. A face in the community: When we tell people which church we are from, they can associate it with a physical location, (as opposed to meeting in a home).
2. Everybody loves "Friendly's Grocery Store": Many local people grew up shopping at the old grocery store, and most people I talk to show interest and appreciation when I tell them I am restoring "Kay's old store." I think the familiarity of the building will take down a few barriers people have in their mind about visiting a church.
3. A place to meet!: One of the biggest issues I have seen new churches face is finding a place to meet. Trying to find something that is the right size and affordable can be a huge headache. Very few church plants start in their own building, most begin in the pastors living room or sharing a building with another congregation.
4. The landlord is on your side: It is also rare when the Pastor owns the building. The advantages to this are; the church can't be kicked out when the lease is up, the church can renovate the building as needed, and rent will be cheap-to-free.
5. Saving Money: The church will not have to tie up $600-$2,000 a month in renting a facility! This will free us up to use the money on things closer to the heart of our mission, like outreach. This is very significant as the new church struggles to become financially independent because it lets us focus on our identity first and money later. Plus, it relieves a lot of the stress associated with fundraising off the shoulders of the leadership.
6. No set-up-tear down: This is big, most church planting examples I have seen will rent a facility on Sunday morning, have volunteers wake up at the crack of dawn to setup chairs, sound equipement, etc., and at the end of the day the same people tear down everything and transport it back to wherever. This model works for several churches, but I am thinking it would be too much for me to prepare quality sermons, work a part-time job, and spend up to 7 hours a week moving stuff. I think there is a better use for people's time then moving chairs every week, and having a church home affords us this opportunity.

I hate to be so building-focused, it goes against everything I am, but it is my hope that if I am building-focused now, before we have any people, I will be free to be more people-focused when the church officially starts.
So feel free to swing by the building and say "hi," just remember to bring your toolbox.