One of the main jobs has now been completed: the sign on the building announcing who we are (Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church) has now been firmly attached to the brickwork on the outside of the building!
When this was originally discussed, we got various quotes from signwriters to do individual lettering on the front of the building and were somewhat shocked by the prices quoted. We are a resourceful bunch who know how to make the best use of the things we have and who are very conscious of the number of jobs still to be done and the amount of money we have available to do those jobs! The lettering, therefore, ended up being done by members of the congregation, painted gold and attached with painstaking care and attention to detail.
The letters were arranged on paper and measured out (as always, the detail matters!):
Then the scaffolding had to be erected outside the building:
Using paper ensured that holes were drilled in the right place and so the letters could be exactly where we wanted them:
The paper was removed and the final thing looks amazing!
Our thanks go to all those who were involved in making and erecting the sign. They joked that they were like ‘the men of Issachar’ who ‘understood the signs’, a rough translation of 1 Chronicles 12:32 which says ‘men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command’. There are plenty of relatives in our church (and we’re all in God’s family!), so there is a lot of truth in this! May we all understand the times and know what we should be doing, in our individual situations, to spread the glory of God’s name wherever we go and wherever we are.
In 1 Chronicles 12 there is the list of the tribes that made up David’s mighty men. The men of Issachar were the smallest in number, but still had a very important part to play in army of David.
It is a reminder that numbers don’t count in God’s army. Even the smallest tribe (or smallest church), can still be a vital part of God’s Plans.