From Rick's Desk
July 2019/Rick Mitchell
Hurricane Michael really did a number on our church! We will have new roofs on the Student Center, the two-story Educational Building, the Fellowship Hall, Kid Zone, D Building, Office, Sanctuary, A Sheltering Tree and the Center of Hope. A Sheltering Tree, the two-story Educational Building and the Fellowship Hall all sustained major damage requiring major reconstruction. Each year I struggle when I see the size of the insurance premium for wind and consider ministry items that could be accomplished with those dollars; however, I see the wisdom in the insurance right before my eyes!
The insurance company that we have continues to deal faithfully with us up to this point, and I am very grateful for that fact. Our roofing contractor has done an excellent job providing help beyond the contract by providing the roofing work for A Sheltering Tree free of charge and some other items on campus. We are pleased with the job that the General Contractor is doing in putting our buildings back together again. As they finish up, I believe that you will see the great things they are doing too.
I am so grateful that the insurance that we have paid for year in and year out is paying for itself during this time of catastrophic loss. It is a blessing.
Hurricane Michael really did a number on our church, and I am asking that you take a part in the reconstruction. No, I am not asking you to take up a hammer or a paintbrush right now. I am asking that you be the church that has ministered faithfully to our community since 1894. Year in and year out, St. Andrew Baptist Church has been here helping the St. Andrew Community, Panama City and Bay County. In recent years our Center of Hope has exploded in the amount of ministry that we have offered to our community. We see God’s hand working on a daily basis in the Center of Hope ministries and we give Him all the praise and glory for that.
I am asking you to be a part of the reconstruction of our church and community by becoming more involved in the ministries that we offer each week. From the youngest to the most experienced, we have places of opportunity for you to become involved and influence others. I know that we all have suffered personal loss of some type from the hurricane; however, the church has always been at her best when confronted with a challenge such as our reconstruction. Please do not wait for an invitation. Seek out Jeremy, Mark, Thomas, Karen, or Christie and get involved in those areas that God has gifted you so that your impact might be felt for generations to come. Have musical skills? See Doug or Josh and get plugged in there. Love greeting people and talking? We have a place for you. Prefer to work in the background and serve in that way? We have an opportunity for you.
Hurricane Michael really did a number on our church but we are overcomers! Have you taken a season away from ministry? Get plugged in again. Are you new to the concept of serving others? We can help you with getting started and becoming a vital part of the reconstruction efforts. Insurance is putting our buildings back together. It is up to us to rebuild our church.
The insurance company that we have continues to deal faithfully with us up to this point, and I am very grateful for that fact. Our roofing contractor has done an excellent job providing help beyond the contract by providing the roofing work for A Sheltering Tree free of charge and some other items on campus. We are pleased with the job that the General Contractor is doing in putting our buildings back together again. As they finish up, I believe that you will see the great things they are doing too.
I am so grateful that the insurance that we have paid for year in and year out is paying for itself during this time of catastrophic loss. It is a blessing.
Hurricane Michael really did a number on our church, and I am asking that you take a part in the reconstruction. No, I am not asking you to take up a hammer or a paintbrush right now. I am asking that you be the church that has ministered faithfully to our community since 1894. Year in and year out, St. Andrew Baptist Church has been here helping the St. Andrew Community, Panama City and Bay County. In recent years our Center of Hope has exploded in the amount of ministry that we have offered to our community. We see God’s hand working on a daily basis in the Center of Hope ministries and we give Him all the praise and glory for that.
I am asking you to be a part of the reconstruction of our church and community by becoming more involved in the ministries that we offer each week. From the youngest to the most experienced, we have places of opportunity for you to become involved and influence others. I know that we all have suffered personal loss of some type from the hurricane; however, the church has always been at her best when confronted with a challenge such as our reconstruction. Please do not wait for an invitation. Seek out Jeremy, Mark, Thomas, Karen, or Christie and get involved in those areas that God has gifted you so that your impact might be felt for generations to come. Have musical skills? See Doug or Josh and get plugged in there. Love greeting people and talking? We have a place for you. Prefer to work in the background and serve in that way? We have an opportunity for you.
Hurricane Michael really did a number on our church but we are overcomers! Have you taken a season away from ministry? Get plugged in again. Are you new to the concept of serving others? We can help you with getting started and becoming a vital part of the reconstruction efforts. Insurance is putting our buildings back together. It is up to us to rebuild our church.
Memories
June 2019/Rick Mitchell
Life at St Andrew Baptist has taken on a familiar feel in recent days. Our two-story Educational building has a new roof and has been just about completed inside with new paint and flooring. Many of our Senior Adults meet downstairs while our Students meet upstairs. Our Fellowship Hall has a new roof and the sheetrock is almost finished inside waiting on paint and flooring. We hope to have it finished up very soon. While it looks as if it will not be ready for VBS, it will not be long behind. The biggest challenge in the Fellowship Hall has been the complete overhaul of the “fuse” box. It took on a lot of water and has been completely replaced. Our single story Adult Educational building across from Kid Zone has a new roof and has a couple of major components to be completed and it will be fully functional again. The Student Center, Kid Zone, Office, and Worship Center all will have new roofs on them before construction is complete.
Life at St Andrew Baptist certainly has taken on a familiar feel in recent days. In 2009 and 2010, our campus was turned upside down with new construction as the Student Center and the Kid Zone buildings were built. We had to suffer through some major inconveniences to see that project complete. At the end, we had buildings that were prepared to see us through for several years. While many things changed during that time, many notable and noticeable things remained the same. Ask those who were here during that construction period and you’ll hear examples of how suffering and sacrifice had to be a part of the plan until the new buildings were inhabitable. Very few things were easy during that time. Our walkways were narrow and bordered by construction fencing. Parking was at a premium and many of our stronger folk preferred walking to parking up close so that the older ones or those with small children could find parking and coming to church easier and more appealing.
But the suffering and the sacrificing were made bearable by the fact that we were building for a reason. Before the construction began we had a “breaking ground” service where we placed stakes in the ground. The stakes bore the names of those we prayed would come to Christ as a result of the ministry happening in the new buildings. Names of loved ones and names of some that hadn’t even been born at that time. And it has happened! God has answered prayers and many that we prayed for have come to know Christ as Lord and as Savior. The suffering and the sacrifices all pale in consideration of the eternal things that happen in those buildings.
My prayer is that while the reconstruction happens around us from the devastating results of Hurricane Michael, we will bear up under it with the same resolve and prayerful expectations that we had “back then." I pray that we will be able to overlook the inconveniences of today while we look forward to the eternal things to happen because of the ministry that will happen on our campus in the future. We have much to endure over the coming months. In my position, I understand that better than many others do. But we all know that the battle we wage is not against flesh and blood or brick and mortar. The victories that we will enjoy will last an eternity.
What can you do to help at this time? Let me know if you see an unsafe or dangerous situation. Let me know if you see changes we can make that could prove helpful in the middle of reconstruction. I will not see everything. I will miss some things. I will appreciate you helping me do the very best in our reconstruction period knowing that when we complete things, that we all will enjoy the results and that ministry in our building will be better than ever.
#ILoveMyChurch #LookingForwardWithEternalEyes
Life at St Andrew Baptist certainly has taken on a familiar feel in recent days. In 2009 and 2010, our campus was turned upside down with new construction as the Student Center and the Kid Zone buildings were built. We had to suffer through some major inconveniences to see that project complete. At the end, we had buildings that were prepared to see us through for several years. While many things changed during that time, many notable and noticeable things remained the same. Ask those who were here during that construction period and you’ll hear examples of how suffering and sacrifice had to be a part of the plan until the new buildings were inhabitable. Very few things were easy during that time. Our walkways were narrow and bordered by construction fencing. Parking was at a premium and many of our stronger folk preferred walking to parking up close so that the older ones or those with small children could find parking and coming to church easier and more appealing.
But the suffering and the sacrificing were made bearable by the fact that we were building for a reason. Before the construction began we had a “breaking ground” service where we placed stakes in the ground. The stakes bore the names of those we prayed would come to Christ as a result of the ministry happening in the new buildings. Names of loved ones and names of some that hadn’t even been born at that time. And it has happened! God has answered prayers and many that we prayed for have come to know Christ as Lord and as Savior. The suffering and the sacrifices all pale in consideration of the eternal things that happen in those buildings.
My prayer is that while the reconstruction happens around us from the devastating results of Hurricane Michael, we will bear up under it with the same resolve and prayerful expectations that we had “back then." I pray that we will be able to overlook the inconveniences of today while we look forward to the eternal things to happen because of the ministry that will happen on our campus in the future. We have much to endure over the coming months. In my position, I understand that better than many others do. But we all know that the battle we wage is not against flesh and blood or brick and mortar. The victories that we will enjoy will last an eternity.
What can you do to help at this time? Let me know if you see an unsafe or dangerous situation. Let me know if you see changes we can make that could prove helpful in the middle of reconstruction. I will not see everything. I will miss some things. I will appreciate you helping me do the very best in our reconstruction period knowing that when we complete things, that we all will enjoy the results and that ministry in our building will be better than ever.
#ILoveMyChurch #LookingForwardWithEternalEyes
