Kevin was 20 and I was 17 when we stepped foot into Centre Street Church for the first time. We were dating, beginning our first years of post-secondary education and new to Calgary. CSC was the first church we attended that September. It was “home” immediately. And looking back over the years, I am SO thankful that CSC is the church family God lead us to.
By the Fall of 2001, Kevin and I had already been attending CSC for six years, married for three years, working full time in our careers, and we could see how God was moving in our lives, and through deep community in the church. He was also planting a dream in my heart for a full-time music ministry career. The future was ahead of us! Full of dreams and so many possibilities. One possibility we were NOT open to at that time was having kids, EVER. [Flash family pic]. Looks like God had different plans. However, we see now that God had a purpose even in our lack of desire for kids. There were two young boys that God had strategically placed in our lives at that time who had tragically lost their father. If we had kids of our own back then, Kevin would never have had the time to invest into those two boys.
Back to the Fall of 2001, I vividly remember the excitement of the Giving God Room Campaign. We had seen with our own eyes the explosive growth of people being drawn to our church and now was the time to expand. When that need was presented to us, I remember feeling and sensing the excitement mount in the room. I think all of us sensed that God was inviting us to be a part of something much, much bigger than ourselves. For Kevin and I, there was no question in our minds whether we were going to support that endeavor. The question was how. We had dreams for the future! But we decided that we would take a step of faith in obedience to this immediate calling on our lives for a season of sacrifice.
During that campaign, I remember when the moment came that all of us, as a church family, placed our commitment pledge envelopes in the offering plate. It wasn’t a moment of inward groaning or reluctance. It was pure JOY! It was not the foreseen joy of being in a big new building but the foreseen joy of witnessing LIVES changed and ministered to in that building! The eternal ramifications felt so tangible! Little did Kevin and I know then that our own future three beautiful children that we said we were never gonna have would be part of those foreseen lives ministered to in the new building.
As you know there are many things in this life that God calls us to where the results aren’t immediately tangible. Parenting for one….it is a never-ending pouring out into someone else and it never quite delivers that moment of “Ah-hah!! I’ve succeeded!” Kids will always make choices and our job as parents won’t end until the other side of eternity.
I’ve found worship leading to be another service with outcomes that are not immediately tangible…I won’t know until the other side of eternity whether people were actually led into genuine worship. I’ve learned never to judge worship by the number of hands raised. Again, we all make choices in corporate worship as to whether we will be distracted, entertained, entertaining or choose to tune into worshipping God from the heart no matter if the music is to our taste or not. So again, the results are not so tangible for me as worship leader.
But giving of my time and money to grow a church that is being used by God all over the world? Now THAT is tangible because there comes a moment when that building is complete and many moments when those testimonies emerge from out of those walls.
There came a time 6 years ago, when we were deciding between moving to NW Calgary or to far south Calgary. A move to South Calgary would have meant we were closer to my parents’ farm. However, we didn’t have a South Campus of CSC yet, so it would have likely meant switching churches for a time. And ya know, we just couldn’t do that! There was too much history here for us to just up and leave! This was family! Facing the uncertain future WITHOUT this family was unfathomable and still is, quite frankly!
Like some of you, I have memories scattered all throughout West Campus and this building. Markers that have shaped my life! Our own wedding, our baptisms, our three children’s dedication services, my CD release concert (which was the beginning of that dream come true), and praying for healing for loved ones or with the worship team or choir backstage. I remember serving in Summer VBS, Alpha, Choir concerts, and our very first kids worship concert right here in this building…seeing the sanctuary lit up with glow foamies as children worshipped was amazing! I remember times of laughter, food & fellowship all over these buildings.
For 23 years, Kevin and I have felt so discipled here. We have truly felt supported and equipped through every season of life we have faced. With each new season, we’ve discovered an appreciation for a different area of ministry in our church and I can’t express fully to you just how amazed we were with how God was leading that ministry! Even in the nursery there was intentionality in every minute and time spent praying for those little ones!
God’s timing for equipping us through CSC was impeccable. For example, when we were newlyweds, the church held a conference on healthy sexuality (PERFECT timing!). Or when we were new parents. … I don’t know about you but most of the time in this journey of parenting, I feel like Gideon with no confidence in my own abilities, no manual and the odds stacked against me. But time and again, through this church, I have been challenged, received encouragement, insight, and tools for my parenting toolbox. I remember calling up our children’s pastor once when our son Matthew was two because I was just itching to teach him about Jesus but I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right! I had never been a parent before! I was reading the Bible with Matthew before naps and bedtime and also utilizing the Promiseland sheet I received every weekend at church. But was that enough?? I was dying to know and I received so much encouragement in that phone call that what I was doing was great.
Or how about when Kevin and I wanted our kids to start serving. We felt it was a great way to prevent entitlement in our kids, instill a love for people, and learn good work ethic. Well, we discovered the Grade 5/6 SALT program here…..beeee—autiful….it introduces kids to serving in all the various areas of our church so they can discover which area they are most suited to. And now our oldest is in Youth and we are amazed once again at the support we are receiving and how God is moving.
One more example was when we felt the need to intentionally reach out to some people in our lives that didn’t yet know Christ…..Oh look! Our church has an Alpha and Why Believe program that we can join! I think you are getting the picture that the support here has been endless for us and is for you too.
Having said all this, may I never minimize the great cumulative impact on Kevin and I from simply attending here weekly over all these years to worship together and be fed from God’s Word. God has used that to slowly, gradually mold, shape and transform us as I’m sure many of you can relate. He’s got A LOT more work to do in me but – praise God – I am not the same as I once was!!
The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. Jude says that joy was the foreseen moment when Jesus gets to present each of us before God the Father without fault and with “great” joy. Although we aren’t called to bear the same heavy cross as Jesus, He says if we want to be His disciples we must deny ourselves and carry “our” cross. Friends, we have a cross we must endure for a time for the joy that is set before us in seeing more lives ministered to in Jesus’ Name. So what about you? Are you willing to take up this cross for Jesus’ sake?
When Kevin and I walk into this building, we feel a sense of thankfulness that not only did we get to have a part in this but that we can look back and see now what we couldn’t then… when we stepped out in faith in 2001 – how through this church, God has richly blessed us and His greater kingdom because we gave God more room. Oh church, just think of the memories we have ahead of us! What memories will each of us have 15 years from now, as a result of stepping out in faith to build more room for God? Who in your future sphere of influence will experience God because we built more room for Him? Maybe you will be changed! Or a future spouse you haven’t even met yet, future children/grandchildren/nieces/nephews, your very own co-workers or neighbours? Are you willing to take up this cross for the future “you” and those people in your future?
If you have not already made your commitment – I implore you to join with us and step out in faith, declaring that, no matter how uncertain your future is, you will accept God’s invitation to build mission, build community, build discipleship and build more room for Him!