May 04, 2018 Words of Grace – Do We Pray About Buildings?
To be honest, praying about buildings initially seemed a bit strange to me. I have had to get over the idea that we should pray about the “spiritual” things, like evangelism and discipleship, but not the things like building plans and money. Maybe my hesitance to pray about buildings came from bad teaching that separated the spiritual (good) from the material (bad) and assumed that God only cares about the former. Or, maybe I was just embarrassed to be so “worldly” as to care about such second-tier concerns.
I have gotten over it. I pray about buildings. Why? Because I pray about everything. When I do, I am praying for wisdom about everything. And, I am praying for the provision we need to live and do as God has called us to, which will bring glory to him.
It is important that we pray about the decision we are facing at Grace regarding the next building phase. We need physical space to gather as a congregation. That space may be homes, public places, or church owned buildings. But unless we are ready to become a virtual church, we need buildings. And, we need God’s wisdom about if and when to build, the kinds of buildings to build, and how to pay for them. So, we need to pray.
Please join me this weekend in prayer. And join us Sunday night as we gather at 6:00pm to sing and pray in the Chapel. We will focus our prayers on our Phase 3 building decision, but our praying will be filled with songs of praise.
Would you also pray for our dear friends at Light of Hope Church in Minsk, Belarus? This church is a partner congregation with Grace. They do not own a building. Last month they had to change locations and move to another part of the city. This move has had a challenging impact on the congregation. They need encouragement as well as a suitable place to gather for worship and discipleship. We have the opportunity to include them in our prayers.
Don’t forget, our final Q&A session on the Phase 3 building recommendation is this Sunday at 5:00pm. The membership at Grace will respond to the recommendation on the Phase 3 building expansion on Sunday, May 13.
-Scott