Last week an individual who was not an attender of our church showed up in my office. It was so evident that someone from our church family is loving this person so well that she is starting to want a different spiritual heart. God is working in her life and inviting her to allow His Spirit to work within her.
God is in the business of change. Not change for the sake of change, but change for a relational purpose – that we might fully grasp what it means to be beloved by a good heavenly Father.
Change is happening in our church, not only in the adults but in children, youth and even marriages. I believe that when God makes these kinds of changes in a local church like ours, that we have the chance to willingly become partners with Him in the kingdom of Heaven.
There are a couple of verses in Ezekiel 36 that are so profound. The Message says it this way, (26,27) I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed.
Ezekiel knew that God was in the business of change, even for that nation. Likewise, with this group of people called GREFC, God is giving people new hearts. He is looking to transform hearts that are hard and make them soft so they are not self-willed but God-willed.
One of nuances that I have seen over my many years in ministry is that when hearts change, people are attracted to those changes. Have you noticed that more and more people are attracted to this group of people called GREFC? Have you noticed that more people are finding this place, this church, as a place where their hearts can be softened by the Holy Spirit? 
Have you also noticed our spaces getting a bit tight? As more people come through our doors we get to celebrate the joy of God writing new chapters in people’s lives. Yes, this also causes us to work to figure out parking and where to put more and more kids whose parents bring them to hear about Jesus. We think hard about where to put the middle schoolers on Wednesday nights and what rooms to use for the adult classes, but what great problems to have!
Because of the changes we see God making here at GREFC, we have chosen to cooperate in the new chapter he is writing for us. Last year the Elder Board commissioned a Facility Planning Committee to explore the options of expanding the ministry of this church. Based on this committee’s recommendations, earlier this year the Elder Board made known its desire to add additional space to our current building, with the hopes of breaking ground in the spring of 2018.
A Building C
ommittee has been established to help us determine what would need to happen to meet the Elder Board’s desire. The Building Committee is working to provide answers to all the many questions that surround a large endeavor such as this. The ultimate decision will fall to the members of our church body.
So I would ask this, would you pray for wisdom for the Elder Board, the Executive Board and the Building Committee as they figure out how to best serve this church and the people whom God is bringing? Also, pray about how God might use YOU in this journey.
We want to cooperate with God to make space for change – in people’s hearts, in families, and in our community. Please join us in this exciting chance to partner with God in expanding His Kingdom!
More coming…
~Pastor Ken
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