Thursday, March 12, 2015

Imagine What We Can Be

By Rev. Tom Ott

Remember five years ago, when Jerry and Allen Harmon challenged us to “Imagine What We Can Be?”  That was the theme that inspired our capital campaign to pay off the remaining 1.5 million dollar balance of our mortgage from the renovation we undertook fifteen years ago.

Last month we received the funds we needed to finish paying off the loan! It was a huge milestone for us and an inspiring tribute to the dedication and commitment of people in our faith community.  Some of our members have made pledges to three different capital campaigns to help transform our church space into beautiful, accessible, flexible and functional space for hosting our congregation and the wider community. 

On behalf of all of the people whose lives are transformed by all of the ministries, events and activities that take place in church building, I want to say thank you!  Thank you for your generosity.  Thank you for your perseverance.  Thank you for your vision.  Thank you for investing 6.5 million dollars of your own resources to create sacred space here in Battle Creek.  I am both humbled and inspired by your courageous act of faith.

Once the final payment has been turned in to the bank and the paperwork processed and we receive documentation that the loan has been satisfied, we will host a mortgage burning event to rejoice and celebrate this important milestone in the life of our faith community.  We’ll do it later in spring so that those who have been wintering in warm, faraway places can return in time to share in the joy.

Five years ago Jerry and Allen challenged us to imagine what we can be, and already I can say we have become more than I could ever have imagined.  Emily Joye and Tom have joined our community and have launch our Koinonia ministry, a new community that is helping us reach young families in Battle Creek.  The Garden of Dreams Preschool now hosts 60 children from racially and economically diverse families in our community ranging in ages from 6 months up to Kindergarten, providing excellent care and education to prepare them to be successful in school.  Sunday morning we now have a new children’s ministry called the Joyful Path that engages children of both services in activities that help them learn the values of our faith.  Every week we host multiple opportunities for adults to grow in their faith through a wide variety of adult faith formation small group experiences.  We host groups promoting racial justice, disability justice, fitness and body image, Bible study, creative arts and music. We are hosting God’s Kitchen on Monday evenings and distributing surplus food from the food bank once a month to help feed hungry people in the neighborhood.  We are hosting the summer Freedom School program to help improve the literacy skills of children of color.  We are hosting events supporting efforts such as Bridges to Cultural Understanding, the Historical Black University College Choir Concert, MLK Breakfast, etc.

The list goes on…beyond our wildest imaginations!  Thank you members and friends of First Congregational Church for investing so much of what you have to create sacred space, not only for the members of our own faith community, but for all the people of Battle Creek.


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