As we were cleaning out the sound booth and many closets around the Sanctuary during the rebuilding/ refreshing, we found many things. Some of those things where dated and have outlived their usefulness. In their day all these things were very useful and even produced fruit within ministry. But as ministry, culture and technology advanced, these things were put in a closet and forgotten. As we went through these things, we had to decide a few things. Are these things still useful to us, can these things be useful to someone else or are they not useful anymore. We took these items and cleaned them up. Some of them that had just been forgotten have been put back into service or even repurposed and refreshed for a new use (i.e. See the Vintage Church Boards in the church office). Some of these items we sold or gave away to other ministries to be used and yes, some of them where discarded. In ministry we always need to be reevaluating what we do in the same way. Not to change just for the sake of change, but we need to ask ourselves and our church, “Is this still useful?” Something’s need to remembered and put back into service, some need to be repurposed or refreshed, some need to be given to other ministries or churches to continue and yes, some do need to be discarded. None of these things are bad things, they are apart of church life and allowing us to build on the foundation that Christ has laid for Emmanuel Baptist Church.

[10] According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. [11] For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—[13] each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. [14] If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. [15] If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (ESV)

RH