In God’s timing, God will provide.
For a few years now, Oak Park Church of Christ had been wondering about expansion.
They set up a long range planning team and considered how to steward resources and to anticipate future needs of the church.
A bigger sanctuary was the likely goal.
However, it didn’t seem to come together and Pastor Lane Scruggs noticed a lack of conviction and enthusiasm about the possibility.
Meanwhile, the question that caught the church’s attention was centred around the mission of God:
How can we be a church for this neighbourhood?
So they grew a food bank from nothing.
In fact, they just had their #1000th family receive 2 weeks of fresh groceries and a load of frozen food.
They provided people with clothing.
Started a weekly tutoring program.
Made space for another church - Hope for Life Church - to meet in their building.
Grew and extended their benevolence fund.
Partnered with Calgary Housing and various social service agencies.
Over time, it became clear that it wasn’t sanctuary space they needed.
It was resource and meeting space.
Space that could flex according to the current need.
They got plans drawn up, bids came in - and the cost was overwhelming.
Impossible, actually.
Where was $2.8 million going to come from?
Oak Park Church put it out to their congregants who responded generously and sacrificially through a capital campaign.
But it still wasn’t enough.
With the cost of construction materials and the size of the project, they were still short a million dollars.
The renovation project couldn’t be phased because it was all integrated.
To say it was disappointing would be an under-statement.
In fact, Pastor Lane stood up in front of the congregation last May and said they would not be able to move ahead.
It seemed like the end of the story.
However, that was only the middle of the story.
First, a friend of a friend and former foreman and construction guy was on the beach in Hawaii and felt compelled by the Spirit of God to help out with this renovation project.
He called Pastor Lane and said - I’m in.
He knew the architect and looked at the plans and confirmed that phasing was possible.
He also knew how to cut some costs and do some things differently.
Then someone had heard about a government grant that might be able to help them.
But as they looked closer, they quickly realized that this was only for community groups.
However, the elders at Oak Park felt a holy nudge to submit an application anyways.
They explained how and why they serve their community.
A dozen or so social service agencies in their neighbourhood wrote letters of support - championing their renovation project.
After hours of work and a pile of paper, they sent in their application.
And then they waited.
And waited.
By January, the leadership team at Oak Park was ready to let go of these renovation plans.
They hadn’t heard back from the grant fund and it seemed like this door was closing.
A few hours before the board meeting, Pastor Lane opened his inbox.
A million dollars.
He looked again.
Their application was successful and they had been awarded the largest amount ever.
He sat quiet for a bit - wondering if this was holy ground.
Can you imagine that leadership team meeting that night?
I’m guessing there was a level of shock and some disbelief to work through.
Followed by great rejoicing and a sense of humility - that God was doing something good in their church and community.
God was inviting them into the good work that He was doing.
Motivated by love for their neighbour and the Great Commission and empowered by the Spirit, Oak Park Church of Christ shines the light of Jesus in their little corner in Calgary.
To God be the glory!
