Construction Continues!

 In the last two weeks alone, major progress has taken place in our sanctuary!  New catwalks are installed and painted, and equipment is being hung.  The stage area at the front of the sanctuary has been extended, and the baptistry is being installed to the left.  More rows have been added to the balcony, and that means more space for more people!  There is even fresh paint on the walls near the Choir Room.  Landscapers have begun planting new trees and plants around the outside of our campus, creating a warm and inviting environment for both guests and members.  As the weeks pass by, more and more changes are becoming visible! 

We are so excited about the lives God is going to touch through Silverdale Baptist, and we're so thankful for the extra space we will soon have for God to fill with new individuals and families.  Thank you again for your flexibility during this transition time!  

Enjoy the pictures below & be sure to share your thoughts here on the blog or on our Facebook page.  We want to hear from you!

Sanctuary renovations

New catwalk for sound & lighting equipment

Beginning the balcony expansion

Expanding the stage area

Extension on balcony

Entrance near Choir Room

Catwalk for sound & lighting equipment

Balcony extension

New stage area

Adding rows to the balcony

New baptistry to the left of the stage

Embracing Change

Our staff was recently encouraged by a church member's contribution to the September women's ministry newsletter, and we would like to share it with you. The article encourages us to view the changes taking place on our campus as investments in the Kingdom! We hope you will be encouraged too, and that as our campus changes, we will each allow God to change us from the inside out as well.

CHANGE

Everywhere you look change is taking place. A big change for me is my eyesight. What was once clear is blurred without my reading glasses. But change doesn’t always have to be bad.

Our church is going through a big change as builders prepare the new worship center. We need the kind of change that takes place when we come into the Lord’s presence. The church body needs each other (Heb. 10:24-25), for God knows we are better together. We need to love, encourage and stimulate one another.

In the movie National Treasure II, a document was unreadable until 3-D glasses were used. The glasses brought what could not be read into clear view, and the mystery was revealed.

I wonder if we need a pair of spiritual 3-D glasses as we prepare to enter our new worship center. Our spiritual 3-D glasses will help us see clearly that we need to make room for new people. There are many who need Jesus and the changes He brings to lives. It is not about new seats, a new stage, or new lights, where we park, or what we wear, but it is about changed lives. Worship is where real change takes place. Our loving Father takes our unforgiveness so we are able to experience forgiveness. Our hate is replaced with love, our disobedience is turned into willing obedience, and our bitterness is removed to make room for peace.

As I become older, things that used to matter do not matter anymore. What matters are those things that will make eternal significance: Kingdom work! So grab a pair of 3-D glasses as you walk into the new building and embrace the change as we worship, grow, love and serve new people into the Kingdom.

Mary Sue McDowell

Bulldozers & Asphalt Rollers

More & more visible changes are happening around our campus! Here are some updates from the last couple weeks.

The preschool entrance area has a brand new look! First, space was cleared for a new playground. This meant taking away some of the previous parking spaces and changing the traffic flow. We also have a new sidewalk now that comes from the corner of Silverdale Rd. and Bonny Oaks, all the way to the Atrium entrance.

Pouring the new sidewalks...

Part of the new sidewalk meant adjusting the church office entrance. The sidewalk now flows smoothly from the choir entrance end of the building all the way to the SMC.

Smoothing out the new parking area...

Pouring concrete at the office entrance...

Transporting steel into the sanctuary...

The new asphalt in the parking lot and the new sidewalks look great!

Playground Construction Continues

There is no shortage of heavy machinery around the church campus lately. The sounds of hammers, drills, bulldozers and backhoes are now a familiar sound for the staff throughout the week, and every day brings changes to the campus's landscape. The most obvious changes right now are taking place on the Silverdale Rd. side between the Preschool Entrance and the Student Ministry Center (SMC). As the crews continue to work, the concept of the new playground becomes easier to envision.

Keep in mind that as you arrive on Sundays and Wednesdays, the Preschool Parking area is NOT available and some entrances may be blocked. The Atrium entrance on Silverdale Rd. WILL be open on Sundays.

Here are a few pictures of this week's progress.

Exciting News for Preschoolers

Construction began this week on our new preschool playground area! During this phase of construction, you will not be able to park in the Preschool Parking Area and you may not be able to enter through the Preschool Entrance. Please plan to park across Silverdale Rd. and enter the building through the Atrium door. It's exciting to see the campus changing daily. Thank you for your flexibility during renovations!

South Asia Mission Trip

Imagine yourself in the middle of Riverbend on the most crowded night, noises blaring, people so dense that you can’t see ten feet in front of you, trash on the ground, and there is such a variety of smells that you can’t separate them. Now you have a mental picture of our trip to Southeast Asia. But unlike at Riverbend, these people are living life. Life in South Asia is a hard life.

During our trip, we visited the slums where families, just like yours and mine, live crowded shoulder to shoulder, with no running water, no sanitation and little-to-no electricity. They pick through garbage to find something to eat or perhaps for a plastic bottle that they can sell to buy some food for their family.

As we observed the poverty, the smells, and the constant noise, we also saw something else – hope. Almost everyone we met in the slums met us with a smile. In the midst of their plight, they have been introduced to their only true Hope – Jesus Christ. Our missionaries are the feet of Christ as they teach these souls God’s word through English classes, henna storying, and personal example. In their poverty, the people of South Asia are becoming rich.

If you have the opportunity to go on a mission trip to South Asia, or anywhere else in the world – do it. As you are being God’s messenger, He may just let you know that while you thought you were going there to do a great work for Him, He was taking you there to do a great work in you!

Susan Whited
Counseling Director