Extreme Church Makeover
Emanuel CRC located in Wyoming, MI was in need of some serious renovation. The basement was extremely outdated. The classroom dividers were hanging on for dear life, many of them already falling. The carpet was held together in many places with duct tape. In fact, I actually had my sandal taken off my foot by a piece of duct tape on the carpet while walking in the basement. The walls were the acceptable beige church colors. There was hardly enough room for them to gather as a church community. The church was growing and they needed some more space. They also did many community events and needed some extra space to accommodate the community members. Pastor Carlos also needed an office where he could study, and counsel if necessary. That's when Neighborhood Church Ministries came in to save the day! The idea was simple. Renovate the church and help it reach out to their members, and the community. The setup was like that of the show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, that is, without the complete demolition of the building. We would take one week and use all the resources we could to help utilize their church building in a way that would bring the Gospel to their members and to their community. A week mid August chosen for this event to take place. We worked closely with the Pastor and two other members of the council to ensure that the church had the say in what happened and what they wanted. We took that and hit the phones asking for donations or reduced prices to aid any budget concerns. We called many businesses and came up with some great contacts and some great deals and donations. The week finally came and the work began. On the first Sunday, Emanuel cancelled their evening service so they could begin clearing out the basement. There were over 40 members present and they cleared the building quite easily. Even the church was amazed at how many people showed up and the work they put into it. This was a sign of great things to come. The next week featured more hard work and amazing happenings. A window washer stopped by and decided to donate his time and resources to wash all the windows. Green Valley donated three dumpsters throughout the week. Youngs Painting Company stepped forward and donated their time to paint the entire basement. Flooring America gave us a great deal on new carpet so the basement could be upgraded and carpet layer come in on his own time to lay it. Electrical Maintenance paid two workers to come and rewire the basement to meet their needs. The radio station WJQ called everyday to check in on the progress and then they themselves came to help with over 25 volunteers. The Advance Newspaper and the Grand Rapids Press also came and ran stories about this event Finally, on Sunday, the work was complete and the celebration could begin. We invited all of those that volunteered to join us. We had an uplifting church service filled with singing and testimonials about how the week changed the church and brought them together. We then went in the newly refurbished basement to enjoy some food and fellowship together. The basement looked great and could now hold everyone in one room. This was a great way to end the week. Not only did we enjoy a great meal prepared by the church members, we could enjoy it in the newly finished basement. It was amazing to see how God worked through the church members and all of the volunteers. This helped to bring the church together and it gave people an opportunity to go and serve the Lord. The church is now well equipped to help the church reach out into the community and spread the love of Jesus to all those who enter the newly painted and cleaned doors! We hope and pray that God will continue to help Emanuel CRC as it ministers to their members and to the community.