Some weeks are more adventurous than others. Most weeks I am able to serve through TECH from the headquarters. There are however some things that can not be sent by email, discussed over Skype/ phone, or sent in the mail. There is some information that can only be gathered with a trained eye and a tape measure, and some meetings that are better had in person.
A couple weeks ago I had the privilege to travel to Southaven, Mississippi (just south of Memphis), a roughly 7 hour drive from home. We were there to assist two local churches with very different ministry needs and at complete opposite sides of the spectrum of the design process.
The first is a church that we have partnered with for about year now. Up to this point we have been assisting them with Master Planning their campus to provide the best use of what they have. In recent weeks they have requested that we continue the process and begin Construction Documents to expand the children's ministry. The building we are working with has some unique construction challenges that needed to be evaluated in person. I spent the day poking my head above ceiling tiles and around every nook and cranny I could find to gather the information we needed.
The second church in Mississippi was about 6 miles away from the first. This church is still in the inquiry phase. A site visit was not required, but since we were in the area we took the opportunity to meet in person and discuss what ministry needs they had. Their story is that three years ago they opened a school on the church campus. The ministry has grown quickly and the school building is nearing maximum capacity. They are wanting to build new classrooms and a cafegymatorium (a multipurpose cafeteria/ gymnasium/ auditorium). By meeting with them in person we were able to tour the existing facilities and get a better feel for the needs and heart of the ministry.
Pray for wisdom as we continue partnering with these ministries. Pray that the Lord would guide our decision making processes and the TECH would be able to provide the right tools for these two churches be better equipped for the ministry God has called them to.
