On a chilly weekend in the middle of March, the people of Pathway got a sneak peek at the inside of the new children’s wing. It wasn’t a tour, so to speak. Instead, it was an opportunity to write a message or prayer or scripture on the walls and floor of the building.
Now, writing on walls sounds more like an act of vandalism or something a disobedient child would do — yes, I got into trouble for that once — but this wasn’t that at all. With about four months to go in the construction project, the beams and studs and concrete floors were still exposed and those written thoughts are being encased behind walls and under carpets as permanent expressions of our hearts before God. They are messages of hope and inspiration for the children who will grow inside those walls, and for the adults who will lead them.
In addition to the many written reflections, the time in the new building induced several comments such as, “I didn’t know it was going to be this big,” or, “I can already see children coming to Jesus within these walls.” I can see children coming to Jesus in those walls, too, which has always been a primary motivator of erecting the building in the first place. All of what we do at Pathway is driven by the desire to see people come to faith in Christ and grow deeply in their love for Him. That is certainly true when we think about children, but also youth and adults as well. There is no more powerful message we have to proclaim than the gospel of Jesus Christ, who entered our world to solve our sin problem, died to rescue us and rose again victorious over death. That’s what gets us up in the morning at Pathway and the evidence is the extremely high percentage of people who are partnering with us to make this facility a reality.
Of course, the ALL IN initiative that stands behind this project also has seen tremendous success in its other phases. Those include providing clean water wells in Liberia and developing our global partnership in Kenya. Through the generosity of Pathway Church, we are providing several more wells and a team recently returned from Kenya after advancing the partnership in Orkarkar. These projects also are a demonstration of our commitment to the gospel, for they also have the ultimate goal of seeing people come to know Christ and grow in Him.
Beyond the ALL IN initiatives, we could highlight many, many other areas where the gospel has motivated us to move ahead, but one that comes immediately to mind is the Moon Campus. Our campus just turned 4 years old and continues to shine the light of Christ in a region beyond the Chippewa Campus. It is fulfilling the goal of expanding our reach to others who need to hear the good news of Jesus. I’m so grateful for all those who have given of themselves to carry on the work in Moon.
I look forward to seeing how the gospel will continue to change lives through the influence of Pathway Church. I call you to have a hand in sharing the love of Jesus with others. You can do that through your own personal witness and also by inviting others to join you for worship at Pathway. Easter is just around the corner and what a wonderful opportunity it is to bring a friend, co-worker, neighbor or family member with you to engage with the message of the resurrection of Jesus.
Pastor Jeff