Hallelujah! Soapstone’s Cornerstone Space Now Open
It was about 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 29, when I leaned over to Pastor George.
“Psst, George! It’s time for you to say the prayer!”
“Well… “ he hummed with uncharacteristic evasiveness, “I don’t know.”
Hmmm. Something was afoot. I scanned the congregation for clues and found none. None, that is, until Trustees Chair Don Keller sprang from the choir loft with a frame in his hand. After years of fits and starts, a surge of productivity earlier this year, and months of stalled construction when a critical part was back-ordered, many of us prayed for patience. Now, the glorious day had finally arrived: A Certificate of Occupancy for Soapstone’s upper rooms!
Almost immediately, we sprang into action preparing the space for the September 12 kickoff of our fall programs. Our BOOMERS worked up a sweat transferring boxes, cabinets, furniture, and more from temporary storage in our downstairs classrooms to our new upstairs storage space.
Now Room 117 could become a handbells room where children, youth, and adults could glorify God through music!
Now Room 115 could host a new small group dedicated to learning more about discipleship!
Now the Lost and Found class would have more room to spread out in the Assembly Room, closer to heaven to study the kingdom of Heaven.
Now Room 108 could be used to birth a new Sunday school class for 30s and 40s yearning to study, serve, worship, and play together!
Now we had room upstairs to hold a Confirmation class for two years’ worth of confirmands!
Now, our Youth Council could plan a tour of other church’s youth rooms to dream about what would make ours a gathering place for area youth seeking to know Christ.
Now the Wednesday Morning Ladies could return to in-person Bible Study and The Colossian Way could learn unity-promoting practices in a space airy enough to feel safe.
Now we have room to display books “hidden” in cabinets all around the church so they can be a resource for those who experience Christ best through the written word.
Now we can respond to space requests from community organizations, so we can show them what Christian hospitality is all about.
We haven’t yet planned a big celebration, in part, because we’ve been so busy using the space! We’d also like for community health conditions to improve before filling the upstairs meeting areas to the full capacity a congregational celebration would require. That said, come see it. It’s beautiful. Also, you can reserve space by contacting the church office (office@soapstoneumc.org or 919-846-2212).
If you’re still working toward fulfilling your Cornerstone pledge, remember that campaign ends Dec. 31, 2021. We will soon create a complete list of items needed to complete the project – youth room necessities and niceties, pendant lights for the island, a big TV for the Assembly Room, commercial bookshelves, tables, soft furnishings, a commercial coffee maker, and more. Those items will be funded by gifts to the Cornerstone Furnishings Designated Fund.
For now, let us give thanks to God, the source of all that is good, for all those teams and people – too many to name here — who were brave enough to develop and believe in a vision, and contribute time, knowledge, financial resources, and prayer to make it a reality. Hallelujah.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Mitzi