The Blessing of a Building

Dear LTCC Family,

I was driving up Sumner Tapps Highway this past week, and I noticed our church building standing splendidly on the hill. I thought of all the purposes that our building serves. The Scriptures are quite clear that the church is the people rather than the building, but interestingly doesn’t say much about church buildings outside of the Tabernacle and Temple in the Old Testament. Historically, early Christians met in public places and private homes until around the third century when larger facilities were built. Though having a building the congregation owns is not the only facility model that works in today’s world, there are many positives to it. A few key ones are:

  1. A congregation-owned building provides a permanent, stable and serene space for believers to worship God, share the good news of Jesus and serve the community. In other words, “To be a church.”

  2. Though our building is not a literal “stack of stones”, a congregation-owned building witnesses in a couple of the same ways as the ebenezer Samuel erected in I Samuel 7:2-14. 

    1. It is a reminder of Christ’s victory over sin to those of us that fellowship in it and to the community surrounding it.

    2. It is a “stone of help” to remind us of God’s decades-long provision of leadership, fellow believers and resources needed to maintain our church.

  3. A congregation-owned facility provides the opportunity for a highly customized and efficient design for the church to operate in. Owning a building allows for dedicated spaces for specific ministries without a lot of set up and take down.

Of course the drawbacks of facility ownership usually brought up are financing and maintenance and repair costs. God has answered our needs along these lines working through the dedication and sacrifice of our prior members and through our ongoing efforts. We are privileged to worship at a church that is debt-free and have skilled and willing volunteers for maintenance and repair. 

I’m hoping you are asking yourself a couple of questions by now like, “What’s happening with LTCC Facilities?” and “How can I get involved?” 

What’s happening with LTCC Facilities:

Currently we are focused on preparing the parsonage for one of the missionary families we support, Micah and Laura Myers et al., to occupy during their furlough from Papua New Guinea starting in early June. There are lots of little repairs and upgrades to get it ready for the Myers. 

How you can get involved:

  1. Contact Nick Jacques to see how you can help prep the parsonage.

  2. Grab your favorite gardening tools and join us Saturday, April 1st from 9:30 to 11:30, for a short workday to “Spruce Up the Church Grounds for Easter Sunday.”  Contact Matt Lantz with any questions.

  3. Contact me or the church office if you would like to be involved in maintaining our building and grounds.

What a blessing it is to have a building we own to worship in, minister through, and witness to our community!

Wayne Worthen

For the elders and deacons


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Wayne Worthen