thus far
Last week someone asked me how much the solar panels on the NCF roof cost us. I remembered the meetings where we considered financing and down payments. Incentive programs were expiring and we didn’t know if the roof could bear the weight. Solar panels seemed beyond us. And then God worked a kind of miracle, leading our Green Team to discover a grant based on our community service that paid for the structural analysis and installation of the solar panels- at almost no cost to us.
When do we pause and acknowledge God’s faithfulness? How do we remember God’s goodness in the past, even as we face the challenges of the future? In our leadership meeting, we considered how Samuel marked the place where the Lord delivered Israel from their enemies.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12 (NIV)
Ebenezer means “stone of help.” It was a solid, physical, visual reminder of what God had done up to that very point. Do we need our own rocks of remembrance? What might that look like?
Thirty years after the transformation of the Moose Lodge into a place of worship, our sanctuary was well-worn, as the stains on the carpet attested. The entrance awning was faded and moldy. The mortar between the bricks was crumbling. The stage-remodeling project had stalled. Then the CU Reparations Coalition asked us to host a community event, and miraculously everything began to come together. Here is our pile of stones:
-Sanctuary, offices, and stairwell painted.
-New carpet for sanctuary, offices, and stage.
-Tuckpointing completed.
-Solar panel plaque mounted.
-Awning refurbished.
-Railings installed on stage stairs.
All of this was completed through the tithes and offerings reserved for building work, the faithful giving of God’s people for the maintenance of the Lord’s house. And why? What purpose does our building serve beyond our Sunday morning service?
Our website describes our space as a “justice incubator.” What are the rocks that serve as witness to God’s work in this place? We are reminded of the ministries born from New Covenant, those who called our building home, and those who continue to rely on us.
Spring Initiative
Champaign County Christian Health Center
Daily Bread Soup Kitchen
Men’s Emergency Shelter
Austin’s Place Women’s Shelter
Greater Community AIDS Project
Trauma Resiliency Initiative
UHS Habitat for Humanity Club
CU Reparations Coalition
Samuel knew there would be challenges ahead. But he took the time to name the stone of remembrance. Rather than preparing for the next battle, Samuel reminded the people of what God had done for them to that point.
We’ve Come This Far By Faith,
Leaning On The Lord.
Trusting In His Holy Word.
He’s Never Failed Us Yet.
As Samuel urged the Israelites, let us be rid of the idols of the culture that surrounds us. Let us set our hearts on God alone. Let us assemble for prayer, repentance and worship. When we fear, let us cry out to God for salvation, making our offerings to the Lord. And as we behold God’s miraculous provision, bringing us to this point, may we witness to the stone of help, remembering God’s faithfulness thus far.
Oh, Oh- Oh- Can’t Turn Around,
We’ve Come This Far By Faith.
-Renée