January 26 Building Update 073
“Let Down Your Nets”
I have been really enjoying Pastor Jenn’s teaching series 90 – NINETY walking through the life of Jesus, especially last week’s message on Jesus and Simon in the boat fishing. One version of the story comes from the Gospel of Luke:
4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. -Luke 5:4-6
Have you ever thought what you would have done in the same situation if you were in Simon’s shoes (sandals)? This is very early on in the ministry of Jesus, and Simon would have known little about Jesus or who he was. I think if I had been toiling all night and caught nothing, I would have been totally exhausted and very reluctant to do more fishing.
But, then again, this building project has been all about casting our nets down on the other side of the boat and against the odds. AR has been down this road before in years past and come-up with an empty net with no permanent facility to show for all the toil and effort.
Going into the third year as the AR Building Project Leader, I can tell you nothing is certain in the world we live in or with the building project. Sometimes it’s a real challenge just to get out of bed in the morning and face the uncertainty of what lies ahead in the new day.
But, I am willing, eager and even expectant to listen to the call that “Now is the Time” to do my part in letting down the nets one more time for the reward of the net breaking abundant catch. Sometimes just the thought of such keeps me going and ready to face and overcome the challenges that keep us from our quest.
I hope in this New Year, you are as excited as I am to make this the year Ashley Ridge Church breaks ground on its new permanent campus. We can do this together by casting our nets one more time into the deep water.
Financial Report. As of January 24th, the MTD giving numbers are as follows:
Building Fund $2,816.12 + General Fund $35,282.00 = $38,098.12 TOTAL
If you would like to make a contribution to the Building Fund for Pre-construction expenses or the General Fund for Operating expenses, you can do so here.
Derrick Horres, AR Building Project Leader