As I write this, Yates Baptist Church is a mere 53 days away from our reentry into the renewed sanctuary on a renewed campus. It is hard to believe that October 3 marks the one-year anniversary of our congregational exodus from that faithful space. As we await November 19, I want us to look on this season with gratitude. I am grateful for the faithful service of the space as it was — for decades, the house of worship, the seat of decisions, baptisms, funerals, and vibrant praise. Well done, good and faithful servant! I am also grateful for Yates’ willingness to embrace a future with renewal in view.
I know it has sometimes been hard to watch all the demolition, to wait patiently as the unseen work behind the walls and under the ground has taken place. We have been cramped and moved and asked to make sacrifices we had no idea we’d be making when we began. We have been refined on this journey together — worshiping in alternate locations and improvising solutions in the face of all sorts of challenges. By God’s grace, you have worked hard and persevered. Now the next turn is fast approaching. I am so excited to share the building dedication with you!
As we anticipate this time, I have turned in my own reading and quiet time to the prayer of dedication that King Solomon prayed at the grand opening of the Temple in Jerusalem, found in 1 Kings 8. In the weeks preceding November 19, we will spend time praying with Solomon and the people. It is a profound vision for a house of worship. Solomon dedicates the Temple as:
The House of God A House of Prayer A House of Forgiveness A House of Welcome A House of Praise
I hope we will be captivated by an enduring vision for the sanctuary at the corner of Cornwallis and Chapel Hill Roads. May we be as bold as Solomon — to dedicate every square inch of the campus, new and old, to such faithful purposes.
Of course, we know that we dedicate more than bricks and mortar in November. The Apostle Paul reminded the church in Corinth that anything we build, whether “gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw…will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.” (1 Cor. 3:12-13) More deeply and personally, we must also dedicate ourselves to God who holds our future. We are the “living stones” that comprise the church, assembled together on a solid foundation “already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:10)
Now we move together toward a time of dedication — of our individual lives, and our life together, for God’s good healing and saving purposes. I’m grateful to share that journey with each one of you.
Grace & Peace,