August 12 was a very significant day for us. It marked one whole year since the day we boarded a plane to move to Costa Rica, and a year that our church has held bimonthly Sunday services. It also was the first Sunday in our church’s new home – in hotel ballrooms. The service was held in the main ballroom and the children’s programs each had a ballroom.
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| At the registration table. |
Every week, people from church ask why I didn’t go to church the last Sunday. I remind them that I am always there, but I am down the street helping out with the children. I only get to see the parents of the children that we teach. But now, all of our family environments are in one place! I love being able to see everyone on Sundays and I am sure that parents are glad that they don’t have to drive several blocks to drop off and pick up their kids.
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| UpStreet (5-10 years old) to the left, Transit (11-17 years old) to the right and Waumba Land (newborn to 5 years old) to the far left. The "sanctuary" (main ballroom) is at the end of this hallway. |
To commemorate such a meaningful day, Seth Condrey (North Point Community Church worship leader and Dove award-winner) flew down to lead worship for us. He helped to kick off a celebration of a year of people’s lives being transformed through the power of a relationship with Jesus.
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| Seth Condrey singing with our Shirley Polini. |
All of us volunteers were so excited and nervous about how it would turn out. Since we meet in a hotel, that means that everything has to be portable from the stage to the lighting to the signs to the Waumba Land tents. We weren’t sure what time to arrive on Sunday to set everything up so…we got there at 5:30am!
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| Julio (our pastor) looking at all of the stuff that needs to be loaded onto the truck to take to set up at the hotel. |
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| A before picture of Waumba Land and UpStreet. |
For Waumba Land, it was fun pulling everything out of boxes and bags for the first time and setting it up to look like the Land of our Creator. There were stuffed lions and monkeys and giraffes everywhere…even a snake! Everyone who walked by our room peaked his head in to take a look.
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| The after picture! |
We had a great Sunday looking back on all that has happened and looking ahead to what God has in store for us. It was our biggest attendance yet with 23 babies and preschoolers, 66 elementary schoolers, 52 elementary and high schoolers, and 451 adults at our service for a total of 592 people growing closer to the Lord. We look forward to continuing to serve Him at Openhouse!
