Next Step

This has been quite a week for our church. Conway Community Presbyterian Church has been meeting for the past 3 3/4 years in the cafeteria of Lake George Elementary School. We began as a mission outreach of the Central Florida Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of America. We have grown from about 35 faithful members that first year to three times that now. We served 87 for the Lord's Supper today, plus children and guests.
A Presbyterian USA church -- nearly 50 years old -- had dwindled and merged with another USA church two months ago. We were offered a year's lease of the building and classrooms. The classrooms are also used during the week by a child care called Small Blessings. We signed the lease for a church building this past Thursday, and moved our stuff from the elementary school to the church building. On Saturday we cleaned and prepped the sanctuary for our first service, which we had today.
It was fitting that our first worship service in our new place was on the first Sunday of the month, when we celebrate communion and have a fellowship lunch after the service. It was so much fun! The accoustics of the sanctuary are great, and the musicians have a comfortable spot in front to lead our congregation. It was fun to be in pews again after years of plastic stackable chairs. We had a time of celebration and thanksgiving at the beginning of the service.
Our lunch was unique. The sanctuary has large overhangs so we put up tables and chairs on the west side of the building and enjoyed the shade. It was in the 80's but lower humidity yet, and very pleasant. Across the yard from the sanctuary is the lunch room and kitchen. We had a buffet line through the lunch room and around the large counter in the center of the kitchen. People could then eat on the low tables in the lunch room or go to the tables in the shade of the overhang.
I had a sense that this was a unifying moment for our church. We are finished with the beginning stages and are now ready for growth and building Christ's presence in Conway. God has led us to this lovely spot just west of Conway Road right in the heart of Conway. We're standing on tip-toe to see what God has in store for us!





Food line!

Shade, food, & fellowship...









Our new sign in the heart of Conway. The church is next door to Conway Elementary School -- high traffic!