It is amazing how time flies. It seems like yesterday that our youngest daughter was introducing herself to the people of Emmanuel Baptist Church by saying, "Hi. I'm Lindsay. I'm 5." Next month, she'll turn 20! Where did the time go? I remember my first Sunday preaching at EBC and asking myself, as I fell back into the couch that night, "What have I done?" The room was filled with gray hair, the entire kids ministry had as many children as my wife's 2nd grade Sunday School class at our last church, the new praise choruses consisted of songs already printed in the hymnal, and the choir wore robes on Sunday nights. Nothing wrong with any of that, except it was VERY different from what we were used to in our contemporary South Florida church. The parking lots had potholes that you could lose a VW Bug in, there were no signs on the buildings, the carpet and ceilings were stained from previous roof leaks. You get the picture.
Well, God blessed us with wonderful people who realized the need to address some issues. Between their generosity, their willingness to work, and God's provision; we were able to accomplish so much. Realizing that sometimes we forget where we came from, I thought I'd list some of the changes specifically made to the Emmanuel Campus over the past 14 years:
WORSHIP CENTER: Created a Missions display room; Moved the sound booth downstairs; Renovated the sound and lighting systems; Addition of projection system; Extended the platform; Replaced the roof; Repaired water stains on ceiling; Painted entire interior of Worship Center; Complete renovation of Nursery area; Renovated the Prayer Room; Replaced carpeted section of lobby with tile; Put stamped concrete on front porch; Buried the corrugated drain pipes that were laying across the grass; Added baby changing stations in the lobby restrooms; Added a restroom in the balcony; Purchased a golf cart to shuttle people on Sundays; Saved money to purchase new center screen, projector, and computer that will be installed in the near future; and changed all sidewalk lighting to LED from metal halide fixtures.
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING: Replaced the carpet throughout; Painted every wall in the building; Complete renovation of church offices; Complete renovation of school offices (including addition of restroom); Renovation of library (moved all shelves around the perimeter); Replaced accordion curtain with a permanent insulated wall; Renovation of Fellowship Hall (removed wagon wheel chandeliers, added new sound system and video projection); Purchased new tables and chairs; Renovated the main restrooms in the lobby; Renovated Parlor (added shelving, flooring, etc.); Modernized by replacing wooden doors with glass doors; Built brick wall around the dumpster; Poured sidewalk from driveway to back door of cafeteria; New phone system; Replaced intercom system; Replaced clocks that were stuck on 7:10; Installed new cable internet vs. ONE(1) dial-up PCU when we arrived; Installed new surveillance/security system across the campus. Replaced the ice machine; Rebuilt the fridge and freezer, Added an additional small fridge and freezer; and Replaced A/C units.
100 & 200 BUILDINGS: Painted every interior wall; Painted lockers; Painted all storage cabinets; Replaced carpet with tile in hallways; Replaced all classroom carpet twice; Added smart board technology; Added a computer for every teacher; Replaced all computers in lab & purchased mobile computer cart; Replaced chalkboards with whiteboards; Replaced old student desks with new student desks; Removed round concrete sinks & replaced with automated sinks; Renovated restrooms with new fixtures & stalls; Added both a portable wall in 203-204 and built additional classroom walls; Added advertising boards; Added Internet capabilities; Added security system, and Repaired intercom system.
GYMNASIUM: Replaced roof; Replaced shingles on mansard; Replaced A/C's; Added skylights; Replaced wood floor; Purchased floor cover; Replaced bleachers; Replaced lighting over playing area; Added new backboards; Painted entire gym; Added glass doors from lobby into gym; Added gym divider curtain; Added black curtain on stage; Added sound baffles; Renovated stage for use with E-Street; Renovated concession area (kitchen and glass front on serving area); Added tile and serving booths in lobby; Renovated restrooms in lobby; Repaired showers; and Built the weight room.
GROUNDS PROJECTS: Installed digital sign at entrance; Installed all directional signage; Paved all parking lots; Paved back road; Installed covered walkways; Installed cover over pastor's office back door; Poured a new sidewalk from WC to gym; Added light pole banners; Added the preschool playground and recently installed new equipment; Removed old concrete light pole bases; Added green pavilion next to main playground for class picnics; Removed decaying McDonald's playground equipment and utilized pieces for new slide, shade area, etc.; Added brand new playground equipment to both playgrounds; Planted Crepe Myrtles around campus; Built baseball and softball dugouts (backstops, fencing, storage rooms, etc.); Built handgun range, ropes course, and added paintball field.
MONEY IS ALREADY SAVED FOR: We recently ordered a brand-new Activity/Travel Bus; Money is in the bank for new carpet in the Worship Center; New projection/screen in the Worship Center; Computer upgrades to allow live-streaming of the services; New soccer building (storage, team covers, media platform); New pavilion with restrooms on the soccer field; New fountain in front of the Worship Center; and several other various projects! In addition, we have established both an emergency fund for Emmanuel Baptist Church and Emmanuel Christian School.
None of this would have been possible without people willing to roll up their sleeves and to generously open their wallets. God has truly blessed EBC financially and brought us from a point of barely being able to pay our bills, to a point of affluence and excess. That could be a dangerous place, if we begin to rely our ourselves and forget that everything comes from God. "Thank you, Lord, for YOUR provisions and abundant blessings. Help us never to forget from where YOU brought us!"
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