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.
