We had to have more room. Even with three services our meeting hall was packed and a tad bit claustrophobic. On Sundays, we somehow managed to pack 30 people per service into the meeting hall which was about 24 square feet big (small). As summer approached and the temperature began to rise, the stuffiness in the hall became thicker than sponge cake. I finally decided that something simply had to be done, so, we removed the wall between the meeting hall and the adjacent room which was my office. I lost my office and the children’s ministry lost their only indoor facility for Sunday School. We gained an almost 50% increase in floor space and seating capability. But in the end everything turned out for good, and we recouped our losses: I moved my office to another room, and the children’s ministry moved outside for the summer into a large army tent.
Removing the wall of separation between the meeting hall and my old office was easier said than done. The wall itself was constructed of lathe and plaster sandwiched between sheetrock on one side and paneling on the other. One thing that I learned was sheetrock and plaster spells a plethora of fine-gritted dust. Since the wall had to literally be knocked down, everything in the nearby vicinity was coated with a film of dust. It took us an entire day from dawn to dusk to clean up everything. Days later, the dust continued to settle and coat everything with a fresh layer. Only just now has it finally stopped appearing, thank God!
Today, my assistant - Vassya and another brother from the church worked on installing a suspended ceiling in the new hall and on joining the two halves together. The difference between the two halves is very distinct. It brings to mind how God was able through Christ to join together in Him two separate races of people, the Jews and the Gentiles. However, unlike our project, God’s work in Christ is perfect and seamless. Just as joining our two rooms together produced a great blessing for the church, so God’s joining of Jew and Gentile in Christ to form the Church produced the greatest of blessings for the whole world. Praise God, that we are one in Him!
Before –
After, almost done…
