Yardwork

A few weeks ago while I was gone for the day, Scott worked really hard in the yard. He did a great job, and I am very proud of his work. Here is a before and after picture of what he worked on. Of course, Georgie watched him the entire time.

What are you working on now?

That's the question I get most frequently now that most people know that the St. Simons Community Church project is finished. The answer? A couple of smaller projects here in the Atlanta area, one of which is the "shell" for a North Face retail store in Buckhead.

Our contract is just for the exterior work, though we hope to be awarded the interior work as well. The store is in the Whole Foods shopping center in Buckhead, about a block from a huge development project where the old Buckhead bar scene used to be. We gutted an old restaurant and expanded the footprint of the building, and we are now working on the exterior "skin." Our work should be done within the next month, and the store is supposed to open sometime this summer.

Oh yeah...a reporter from the AJC called me last week to ask about the project, and he wrote up a little article that appeared in today's Metro section. Makes it sound like a lot bigger deal than it really is, but its pretty cool to see your name in the paper!

SSCC Grand Opening

The other thing Joy and I did this weekend while we were in south Georgia was to drive down to St. Simons for the first services at St. Simons Community Church, my recently completed project. I was amazed at how much work the church has done since we finished our work in December, creating themed environments for the children and youth.

From what I heard from the folks we worked with down there, the crowds on this first Sunday exceeded expectations to the point that there was serious concern between services as to where people were going to park and go. I'm sure that there were a lot of 1-timers visiting just to see the place, but the church was ALIVE! It was great to see the excitement on the faces of people in their new home and to have had just a small part in building it.

But I was especially pleased to hear a repeated theme that these are just buildings, and that the church's focus and purpose is centered not on the buildings but on Jesus Christ. Without Him, the rest is meaningless. This isn't a wealthy church that built a really cool building...it is a church family focused on Jesus Christ and reaching their community with His Gospel. It truly was a privilege to work with such a group of genuinely authentic people.

These are just a few photos that don't do the church justice (click on any of the pictures for the full sized picture)...

From the outside. The ginormous oak trees on this property are incredible, and the building fit into the local architecture beautifully.

This is the Sanctuary, clearing out after the 11:00 AM service that was packed full. In fact, both services were standing room only.

Just one side of the "Wherehouse," which is the room for middle and high school students. The theme in this room is of a city rooftop.

Tiny Town...the preschool area. Around this central gathering room are smaller classrooms, and each classroom had a different theme on the outside like "Noah's Pets," "Samson's Barber Shop," and "Paul's Outdoors." Amazing. Much of this themed work was done by church member volunteers.

This was one of my favorite things...a piggy bank for children to put money into (through the pig's snout). All of the money given to the pig goes to missions.

Fred McKinnon is the worship leader at St. Simons Community Church. His blog post about the first Sunday is here, and he's promised to put up some photos soon. Another SSCC staffer, Chris Moncus, was photographing the activities Sunday, as well, so check these blogs for more (better) photos. And if you find yourself on St. Simons Island one weekend, be sure to visit.

St Simons Community Church - Almost Finished!

As Joy has written about before, my main project over the last year has been a new building for St. Simons Community Church. The building has a large auditorium that will seat about 1,000, educational space for children, youth and adults, and of course some administration space. The church has been meeting for several years in some space at a retail center, so they are anxious and excited to be moving into their new home.

Our work is pretty much finished. The church has some work left to do to get the building ready for full time use, so they will actually begin having services there around the first of March. This has been a great project to have worked on for the last year, and the people we've worked with at SSCC have been tremendous. If you happen to be on the island anytime, be sure to drive by or visit one Sunday. Here are a few photos from my trip down earlier this week...

Main entry into the Sanctuary

Entry drive and drive-thru Portico

The Clubhouse - Children's Theater

The Wherehouse - Youth Room

Main stage in the Sanctuary