Its Construction -
A labor of Love
Over the years, the brethren
at Living Word Church have been
called upon to volunteer their
services in many different capacities
to help the Church operate
smoothly. It is true that without the volunteering of
the Saints, the Academy and the Church camp wouldn't
be what they are today. However, when the time came
to begin construction on the Worship Center, the need
for volunteer labor was greater than ever before. Certainly,
this was an undertaking that seemed like an impossibility
to accomplish. However, Jesus said in Mark 10:27,
"...With
men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God
all things are possible." And certainly this endeavor
could not have been accomplished without the mighty
hand of the Lord being involved.
The Saints knew what was ahead of them and they responded
to the call for help in droves. Young and old, men and
woman alike, came out to do whatever small part they
could. Various tradesmen in the Church put their skills
to work on the electricity, plumbing, carpentry, surveying,
and construction. Some used their vacation time from
their places of employment in order to devote that time
to working on the building construction. Others took
leaves of absences from their jobs in order to work
the building project full-time. One example of this
was Bro. Rocine, the Associate Pastor. Bro. Rocine,
who also teaches high school English at the Academy,
found that his time was greatly needed at the work site.
He took a temporary leave of absence from teaching so
that he could give the work project his full attention.
Of course, this could not have been possible if one
of the other faculty members didn't step up and volunteer
to take on his teaching responsibilities along with
her own.
There were many sacrifices made by countless Saints
to ensure that God's will would be done. Many brothers
worked long and hard through all manner of heat and
humidity in the summer and rain, snow, blizzards, and
frigid temperatures in the winter. Others sacrificed
time at home with their families to diligently finish
their tasks. Likewise, a great many of the younger adults
came faithfully to help out with swinging a hammer,
painting, or even just plain clean up.
Such demanding physical labor easily tired the brothers
who worked each day from early morning until late in
the evening. Thankfully, our dear sisters in Christ
rose to the challenge to see to it that the men always
had enough to eat and drink. Countless women laboriously
cooked meals and donated food, drinks, and snacks to
keep up the morale.
While many did the physical work and others provided
the food, still innumerable others gave generously out
of their pockets in order to help take on such a tremendous
financial responsibility. No one particular person can
take the credit for the construction of the building.
Each person made his or her contributions as they were
able. Together, with the Lord adding the increase, the
finished Worship Center is a testimony of how the Lord
can accomplish the impossible with those who are willing
to put forth an effort, do their part, and believe in
God to bring it to fulfillment.
