BUILDING SHEDS

I arrived in Jeannette, Pennsylvania in June of 1976, to be the pastor of the Free Methodist Church there.  They had just built a brand new building, but the congregation had split in the process.  I inherited about forty people - mostly older.

Our 'parsonage' was a 70' mobile home located behind the new church.

The church had purchased about seven acres on the edge of a proposed subdivision of new homes. 

I drove a 1974 Mustang II at the time.  Forest green, four-speed.  A sweet set of wheels!

It quickly became apparent that there was insufficient storage space in the trailer.  So, Howard, the chairman of the trustees, suggested that he and I build a shed for the church tractor and our miscellaneous gear.

I enjoyed working with Howard and learned a lot about the building process as we worked together.  We poured the slab, constructed the walls, put on the roof, and then made barn-doors for our mini-barn.  Then, we painted it and it was finished!

I remember the day that we stood and gazed with pride on our project!  My Mustang was parked nearby.  I saw Howard look at the barn, then at my car.  A moment later he spoke:  "Pastor, if we'd have built that barn two-feet wider, it could have been a garage."

Little did I realize that this statement would define the church so adeptly.  Our lack of foresight and vision keeps us small.  It's a rare church that is courageous enough, bold enough, believing enough, passionate enough to look beyond the present and plan for a God-sized future!