“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” ~1 Cor. 15:58b
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, was established by Congress in 1894 as an annual national commemoration to honor the social and economic achievements of American workers which enhance our country’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.
In honor of our national holiday, I would like to share some of the "labors" that have been going on in recent months at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church. Engraved in the glass wall as you enter Pinnacle’s sanctuary are Jesus’ words, "streams of living water will flow from a faithful heart". "Streams of water" has, indeed, been a recurring theme on the Pinnacle campus, of late!
In May, a pipe in the women's restroom in the Sanctuary broke and was discovered early Friday afternoon by the cleaning crew. By then, the men's and women's restrooms, most of the narthex, the kitchenette, storage areas, and lounge were under several inches of water. Jim Moore, Pastor Kelsey, Lea Reinke, and Paul Rooker jumped into action (and Brent Hylton was seen wading through the water as well). A remediation company was called, whose crew worked well into the night. The final restoration of these areas is underway as I write this blog.
Two other water incidents occurred within our voluminous Sanctuary building, both as a result of pump failure in the lift station. One of these incidents required replacement of one of the pumps, at fairly significant expense. Both required many hours of staff and volunteer time in cleanup efforts.
One other water incident occurred during the Friday monsoon in early August. The rain came so intensely that several inches of water piled up outside the back wall of our office complex and came through the wall. Four office rooms in the hallway were saturated. Once again, Jim and other staff jumped into action while the remediation company was called. Next time you're in the office complex, you may notice new hallway carpet!
Moving from rainfall to sunshine, workers have been putting up a sun canopy over the playground sets adjacent to the teen center…a project made possible by a member’s generous 25th Anniversary Celebration gift! There were also several air-conditioning projects this summer, including rebuilding one of the cooling towers for the Sanctuary building, as well as two air-conditioning projects in the Preschool.
Another 25th Anniversary Celebration gift funded the repair and refurbishing of the stained glass windows in our lovely Chapel.
If you haven't peeked in the nursery lately, you'll also be pleasantly surprised to see the renovation there…including new flooring (donated by JR Mc Dade Company), freshly painted walls, trimmed out skylights and beautiful high-end carpet in the rear classroom (also donated by JR McDade). A number of our staff played a role in this project, along with over a dozen Pinnacle Church members. Thanks also to Mike Foley who led the painting team and once again generously shared his professional talent!
There are too many other projects to list in their entirety, including several landscape projects and rebuilding of a beam over the sliding glass doors in Fellowship Hall, but suffice it to say that the property committee, chaired by Chapin Bell, along with Lila Kleinkopf, Ray Heidel, and Dave Matthews, have been hard at work laboring in the Lord on behalf of Pinnacle Congregation and their labor is not in vain! So many volunteer hours given by church & staff members, combined with financial resources from annual giving as well as assistance from the Pinnacle Presbyterian Church Foundation and insurance reimbursements, have blessed and enabled our legacy to prosper.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Gal. 6:9
