A small group of us performed an a cappella song at Knox back in 2008. The chorus began with the words, “I’m working on a building.” And the song ended with this line: “It’s a Holy Ghost building for my Lord, for my Lord.” Over the years of ministry that have followed – all sixteen of them – I have often heard that chorus ringing in my ears. Those lyrics seemed to capture the spirit of so many building projects we have undertaken at Knox. As each new one begins, it can feel like a job we are doing. By the end, we see it was the Holy Spirit at work all the time.
2008 was also the year we took on renovating our children’s ministry space. We transformed the building where our children met from a dark, outdated “fireside room” to the bright, glass-doored “Atrium” we enjoy today. So many projects followed that one. In stages, we renovated our sanctuary, giving it new interior paint colors, floor coverings, as well as new sound, light, projection, camera, and recording systems. We refinished all of the wood of our sanctuary. We worked on the exterior of our campus, installing drought-tolerant plants, a row of orange trees, and a new Knox sign. We planted oak trees, shrubs, a community garden, and various native plants. We also worked on our Northside House—after installing a new HVAC system and attic insulation we set up a campus-wide camera security system. Each of these projects felt initially like our work. But by the end, we would see not what we had accomplished but what the Holy Spirit had built.
What’s our next campus project? Our most ambitious yet: installing an array of solar panels over our Atrium and church office building. We anticipate these panels will allow us to meet all of our campus’s electricity needs. The plan also includes the installation of insulated roofing material, further improving our campus’s energy efficiency. While we’re at it, we will be repairing water-damaged beams, gutters, and wood throughout our campus too. This is a big project – the largest I have seen us undertake since my arrival as your pastor in 2007. It will have us singing “I’m working on a building” for many months. But once it’s complete, our refrain is sure to be this: “It’s a Holy Ghost building for my Lord, for my Lord.”
Grateful to be on the journey with you,
~Pastor Matt