Snow...Snow...and MORE SNOW!!!!

Snowing @ CFA...

More snow...

Work tent for exterior door installation

General Contractors ad sign

Hallway painted...

Storage rooms painted...

Scraping block walls in basement

Desperately needing paint...

Concrete in men's bathroom (over old stairwell)

New walls up where stairs went down...

Concrete around basement column

Toddler wing water heater

Kitchen walls...

Men's bath plumping...

Basement bath walls up...

Shower stall in basement

'09 CFA Vision Poster w/strategy points

Two days of snow, sleet and ice have slowed down things immensely here in Columbus, Indiana!

All total, somewhere between 8 to 10 inches of snow and ice fell here in our community. Today was the second day of classes canceled for our public schools...with the third day already scheduled for tomorrow. Yup...the kids are loving this winter break!! We had to cancel our mid-week service last night because of weather. The roads are still pretty treacherous and slick...hopefully we can dig out of this avalanche sometime soon.

Work has slowed on the church rebuild...but workers still continue to press on. Concrete has now been poured in the men's bathroom across from the fellowship hall. This has taken up space that was previously used in the stairway to the basement. We now have an enlarged and fully ADA compliant bathroom. The pad that supports the new column in a basement classroom was also poured with concrete.

Electricians have continued working in all areas of the church. Plumbers have finished up work in all restrooms...five to be exact. Builders have put up most of the remaining walls that were needed in the bathrooms...after plumbers finished their projects.

Painters have been in and out. Work has commenced on the basement space. Lots and lots of ugly walls (exposed after power washers sprayed off the dirt and gunk from the flood) are awaiting several coats of needed colorful paint. Scrapping the old flaky paint from off the block walls was also needed before the painters could begin painting.

Contractors are working on several other projects too: one of which is to begin installing the exterior doors...one by the new stairwell and the other is a new entrance into the toddler wing.

We still are praying and asking God to help us dedicate this flood rebuild project totally DEBT FREE!! The date has been set for this historic dedication: Sunday, June 7th, 2009. We would be honored if you planned to join us for this momentous occasion.

If you would like to be a part of the DEBT FREE miracle, please visit our church website to make an online donation: www.columbusfirstassembly.org

More and more of you are visiting FaceBook.com and establishing your personal accounts. Send me a friend request and I'll add you to my friend's list. It has been growing daily since I signed up many months ago.

Keep praying for us. We covet your prayers daily!

Love to all.

P.S. Thanks for pushing me to 8th place on the Christian Blog Top 100 Sites! It's been a while since I've been in the Top 10! Keep checking PASTOR'S BLOG for new updates and new posts!

Miss Indiana Crowned Miss America!

Miss America Katie Stam

Katie and Jennifer from WISH TV @ CFA

Katie behind CFA's disassembled Information Center
after the Flood of '08

Katie facing the WISH TV mobile truck unit in our parking lot

Katie Stam of Indiana was crowned Miss America on Saturday night. Katie hails from Seymour, Indiana (30 minutes south of Columbus) and is a Senior at the University of Indianapolis.

My wife has always enjoyed watching the Miss America pageants. Since she had participated in pageants when she was in college she has followed them ever since. Saturday was no exception. There were several pageant mini-shows ("Countdown to the Crown") leading up to the evening show where Miss America would be crowned. I remember seeing Miss Indiana and thinking to myself, "She sure looks familiar!" I didn't think anything of it until later that night we learned Miss Indiana Katie Stam had won Miss America 2009. Later on WISH TV's nightly newscast they announced it again that Katie had won. Then they mentioned that Katie had been an intern at WISH TV this past summer and has future plans to obtain a bachelor's degree in communications and become a television news anchor. She only has a semester left before graduation.

Bam...then it hit me! Now I remember...Katie was one of two reporters that came to interview me this past summer following the Flood of 2008. We even had a picture of her and Jennifer on our church website banner for sometime. What a small world that we would make connections with a future Miss America winner!

Congratulations to Katie on winning the pageant this year. In fact, Katie is the first girl to win for our Hoosier State. We are proud of her and also for outlasting the other 51 contestants to win the prized pageant.

New beginnings...

Last furnace to be installed: Old decorations storage area

Toddler rooms

Toddler rooms

Hallway by new toddler entrance

Toddler commons area

Ramp to foyer

S.S. Office

Hallway to toddler wing

Hallway by basement restrooms

Bath shower wall

Metal foundation for concrete floor in bath (over old stairwell)

This is a year of new beginnings -

• For our nation today in the inauguration of President Barak Obama.
• For individuals with a fresh new beginning in this New Year...good time to start some new spiritual habits.
  
• For families that have the opportunity to start together spiritually...afresh and anew .
• For Columbus First Assembly in this Year to Rebound...we will rebound from the Flood of 2008!

Great beginning to the new theme for 2009. This really is the Year to Rebound. We will bounce back. We will reclaim our ministry space. We will initiate new and exciting ministries. We will resurrect our small group discipleship ministry. We will make preparations for our Church Dedication Service and Open House already scheduled for June 7, 2009.

On Sunday I preached a message on prayer entitled, "There's a knock at your door!" God spoke powerfully to everyone @ CFA concerning the need to be diligent in our prayers - as well as expectant in our anticipation of the answer! There will be a knock at your door...just be looking for it in your prayer life. God hears and He also answers too! You can listen to this message located at our website: columbusfirstassembly.org

Our rebuild has reached the painting stage in much of the ministry center space. Paint has been applied to most of the walls on the first floor, primarily the toddler wing and some hallways. Walls now are also going up in the two new bathrooms in the basement. The metal foundation for the concrete floor that will extend over the old stairway has been erected. Soon the concrete will be poured to complete that newly enlarged bathroom across from the fellowship hall.

The Lord provided us with a large check recently for our Flood Fund. This was a huge blessing and encouragement. We now stand out about $200,000 from rebuilding Debt Free! Keep praying and keep giving. God is helping us!

Thanks for your love and support!

Much love to all.

The Year to Rebound!

'09 CFA Vision Game Ball!

Taping compound

Fancy stilt shoes!

Toddler wing taped!

Sanding away...

Metal edge on stairwell wall

Ramp to foyer...

Toddler wing foyer space...

Hallway to toddler wing...

New exterior door

Toddler room

Church basement

Classroom wall

Last furnace to be installed...

New AC lines...

Bathroom walls...


New bath water lines...

More lines.

New vision theme was launched yesterday morning for 2009: This is "The Year to Rebound!"

2008 will be forever etched in the history books for our church, Columbus First Assembly. It is the rare occurrence to pastor a church that has just had their entire ministry facilities go under water. This happened on my "watch" as the shepherd of this flock. It was, and still is, an amazing journey of faith that we began on June 8, 2008 (the day after the Flood of 2008).

So as I prayed about the direction for this New Year the Lord laid upon my heart this new theme: 2009 will be The Year to Rebound! The overall plan and five-point strategy is stimulating and exciting. It got us all pumped up yesterday as I had the privilege of releasing the vision through the message yesterday morning. If you are interested in learning more about what we will be focusing on this year, plus the specific date of our CHURCH DEDICATION SERVICE, please visit our ministry website: Columbus First Assembly.

Work continues nicely on the remaining 50% of our church facilities. Right now the workers are finishing up the taping and joint compound phase for most of the rebuild areas. Plumbers have another day or two in finishing up the new bathrooms in the basement. Then they will begin work on the upstairs bathrooms (across from the fellowship hall). HVAC workers have another week or so in finishing up the installation of new furnaces and duct work. The last unit should be installed sometime later this week. Electricians are in and out, waiting for the other subcontractors to complete their work.

The Week of Prayer church gatherings were well received by our congregation. It was one of the best weeks we've conducted to launch a New Year since arriving in 2003. It clearly set the tone for the launching of the annual vision message this past Sunday. It was a fantastic service!!

It will remain the prayer of our church for God to perform a miracle in 2009 and provide the needed funds to finish this REBUILD PROJECT (as a result of the devastating flood) completely DEBT FREE! Some might say we are absolutely "nuts," but we truly believe that "all things are still possible when you have God on your side!"

Would you join us in praying this prayer? It would mean so much to everyone in our church if you would place this specific prayer request on your daily prayer journal. God is so much bigger than the costs associated with rebuilding a flooded-out regional worship center. Come on God...silence the critics who are waiting for this long faith journey to fail. GO GOD! Send in the needed monies to finish this lengthy rebuild completely debt free. We just can't wait to tell the world what YOU WILL HAVE DONE right here in Columbus, Indiana!!

It is a fun season to await the completion on the remaining 50% of our ministry space. Just think what we can do with all that space and the lives that we can touch for all of eternity! (And another WOW thought...we won't have to travel over to our borrowed church on an off night to conduct family night ministries either!!).

Keep the prayers coming and the comments being posted! I love to hear from you and know you are still with us in this awesome journey.

Let me sign off here. Love to all!