2 Years Ago…
2 years ago today we packed everything up for one last time at the Elmwood Regal Theater and walked out the door closing an incredible 20 months as The Chapel at Elmwood. We loaded the truck and trailer and nearly 200 hundred of us walked down Elmwood Ave (w/ a police escort) turned right on Hertel and walked the 4 blocks up to our new location… and opened the doors to Renovation Church!
I can’t believe that it was just 2 years ago… sometimes it seems like 10!
We got the keys to our new home after negotiating with the owners back in the summer of 08… we purchased the property through the generosity of The Chapel at Crosspoint for $225,000! I still can’t believe it, especially now after all the hard work so many people have put into the campus. We closed on September 26, 2008 and we started renovating it that same day. We told Regal that our last day was going to be the last Sunday of November (We decided to use the 4 Sunday’s in December to get our “legs’ under us before we invited the whole neighborhood to come) so our first gathering would be the next Sunday – December 7 just 71 days after getting the keys and we just made it! We were burning the midnight oil that last week… there were more than a few that thought I was crazy but we had no where else to go so however it was for that first Sunday would have to be ok… it was better than ok it was awesome!
We renovated the house into our offices, the old sanctuary into our current auditorium, and the main floor of the old school building into Renovation Station in just 71 days. As I look back i believe it was a God thing that allowed hundreds of volunteers to give of their time, talent and treasures to make it all happen in such a short time.
We officially launched as Renovation Church on January 4, 2009. We will be celebrating our 2 yr anniversary on January 2 and you will not want to miss it as we celebrate all that God has done in just 2 short years.
I couldn’t help reflect though this morning as Caleb and I (our weekly routine since we launched Elmwood) drove by our old stomping grounds to say thank you God for what you started there in my heart and in many others, never knowing what you were about to do just around the corner. It has been an amazing journey for sure…
As people began to gather together this morning for week 11 of our Renovation Project Series I was once again blown away by the faces… young, old, brown, black, white, dirty, clean, happy, sad, angry… God I prayed silently… I am not feeling it today – not sure if it was to much turkey or I am out of my normal routine from driving back from my parents or what but I really am depending on you showing up and invading our hearts and minds and doing what only your Spirit can… that is to change us.
I pray that He did in all of us today!
To God be the glory great things He is still doing!
