Dear Brothers and Sisters, As school comes to an end and the days get longer and warmer, we look forward to some type of rest and relaxation. But I have focused my attention just a little further to help us be prepared for the beginning of the next school year in August. I have met with the staff and discussed these ideas with the Church Council. My reason for doing this is that we are growing at a faster pace than we have in several months, and fall will be full of excitement.

To be ready for that time, I am using the summer to get some things done at the church that are very difficult when we are busy. I mention this to you because I will need your help. Some of it is physical and some of it requires your brains. But when we are finished, no later than August 12, we will be prepared to welcome guests to join us.

W e are having the new educational wing painted by professionals. For this I will need your contributions. We will soon have our bids and begin to solicit contributions. The Special Needs Preschool will be funding half of the cost and some of the Sunday school offerings will be used to buy a wallpaper border. The painting will take place the last week of July.

In the fellowship hall, we want to do some of the handiwork ourselves. We are going to carpet the lower half of the walls similar to the hallway near the offices. To do this, we will need chair rail and shoe molding. The upper part of the walls will be painted. This will give the room a fresh look and reduce the noise level. If you like to paint, have access to any of these supplies, or would like to contribute to this, please let me know.

W e are going to rearrange our closets to maximize our space. This takes muscle and a few tools. A day or two of work is all that is needed. Diane Thomas has worked out the plan, and we are ready to go to work. Does this fit you better? Just give me a call.

To maintain our safe sanctuary setting, we are adding a window to the youth room. This will give visibility to the hallway at all times. We will need to move a door, frame up a window, and put drywall below the window. This could take a few times to meet. Do you have any resources in this area? We welcome them.

W e will need to check all the air conditioning filters, and add a light to the hallway by the offices. We need to purchase more white tables, which cost about $50 each. We need more new folding chairs.

W e are calling together a group of people who have interest in the W ebsite. We want to update it and give Chris Reynolds, our Webmaster, some support. We will be talking to our small group leaders and setting up a “Bring a Friend to Church Sunday.” Pastor Terri and I will be introducing a new program called, “First Sunday ~ First Step.” You will learn more about this as a time to meet the pastors. We will be putting up directional signs, much like realty signs, for a few weekends in the fall to help people remember us.

As you can see, we have a lot up our sleeve. We are pleased with so many people visiting and joining. Our plan is to make them feel welcome by making our place more useful and inviting.

Summer is a great time for rest and relaxation, but it is also a great time to catch up. Come help make your church building a caring place. It will be even more for folks seeking God’s help.

In His Service,

Pastor Mitchell