Oakie Osborne delivering the ‘keys’ to the new building

Sunday, April 3, 2011 was April Faith Day.  Additionally, it was the day that we dedicated our new debt-free Family Life Center.  It was a day that will be remembered around here for a long time.  What are some things that we should take away from this day?  What are some lessons that can be learned from this day?

1. God must get all the glory.  Only God could have built this brand new building completely debt-free.  Only God could have orchestrated all of the circumstances that led to its completion.  Only God could have brought together the collection of people, both in the church and outside the church, that worked on this building.
2. We must think about what we will leave behind.  Bruce and Loraine Constable lived a long time on this earth.  Many, if not most of you, never even knew them.  Yet, long ago, they decided to include FBC in their estate plans.  Their decision had a large impact on our April Faith Day offering.  We all should think about what will happen to our ‘stuff’ once we leave this earth.
3. A building dedication is much more exciting when there are no mortgage payments waiting just around the corner.  Imagine what April Faith Day would have felt like if there were 20 years of mortgage payments hovering over the Family Life Center.  There would have been a huge ‘elephant in the room.’  Our hamburgers would have tasted differently.  Our desserts would not have been as sweet.  Our singing would not have been as strong.  May we remember this lesson for the rest of our lives.
4. Every gift is important.  Our April Faith Day offering was over $178,000.  It is easy to allow yourself to think “my gift isn’t all that important.”  Every gift is important – the small gifts and the large gifts.

Consider some of the offering statistics.

• The vast majority of gifts were $150 or less.
• There were 39 gifts of $100.
• There were 25 gifts of $500.
• A small handful of gifts were $1,000 or more.

Related Posts:

• See pictures from AFD 2011 and our New Building Dedication (link to Facebook)