Dedication...

New Building At Last!

Last Sunday was our first Sunday in our building. What a BEAUTIFUL experience it was. Sacrament seemed so full. We have approximately 84 seats in the congregation, and around 8 seats up front. This is not counting the over flow area. We had around 66 people at church on Sunday. There were four speakers. Typically we have two members that will give talks, but this was a special Sunday. In order: Sister Stormy McCall (me), Brother Dave Luckey, Sister Emily Hoesing and Brother Clyde Gile. After Sacrament Meeting was over, we all dispersed to our next meetings. Adult Sunday School was held in the Relief Society room and that was a very tight squeeze. Following that meeting was a combined Priesthood and Relief Society meeting because it was the fifth Sunday of the month. Still held in the same room. Not sure how the other classes managed but I am certain it was all great and wonderful. What a beautiful building.

This next Sunday is our first Fast and Testimony meeting, and the next Sunday (February 13th, 2011) will be the dedication of the building.

GREAT NEWS!

Email from President Powell:

"The project manager has given the go ahead for us to meet in the new building on Sunday, January 30th, 2011. Wichita FM Group is setting up furnishings this week. We are responsible for setting up certain areas of the building!"


Hurray! The building is OURS now and we can finally go inside and begin worship services this Sunday! What a great gift we have been given. From the outside, the building is glorious. We can hardly stand the wait to see what is inside! It has been a long wait, nearly 20 years, but worth every minute of it!

Time marches on...

And I am not the best at getting updates in. As you might not already have guessed (for those not within the Branch), we have not yet met in our beautiful building. Yesterday is the day we were scheduled to be in it or the first time. It would be best if I just copied what President Powell has said:

January 11, 2011

Brothers and Sisters of the Concordia Branch,,

The meeting today was a little disappointing. The contractor is making good progress but is not far along enough that the building can be turned over to the church. The project manager decided that it is unfair to the contractor to have members in the building trying to use it while he is trying to finish it. Likewise, it is not fair to the members to try to use a building that is still being worked on. The next meeting is January 25 and I believe that the church will be able to accept the building then. I feel that this is the best decision. So a slight delay that ill result in a better building.

JANUARY 30-the revised date for our first meeting in the new building.

FEBRUARY 13- the revised date of the building dedication.

So please help let others know the revised dates for the first use of the building and also the dedication.

Thanks for your patience and help with letting others know.

President Powell

End of the year...

Today was the last Sunday of the year! A new year will begin in just a few days! With that brings OUR NEW BUILDING!!!

Here is the announcement in today's Sacrament Bulletin:

CONCORDIA MEETING HOUSE UPDATE:
Much has changed on the outside with the plantings of landscape galore! The outside trim is looking complete. We will know about the status on after the project manager meets with the architect and the contractor this Wednesday, December 29th, 2010. The Project Manager's message to President Knapp (Stake President) was that he expected we could begin meeting in the building on January 16th, 2011. That is only three weeks! Most exciting.

From our observation, we have noticed lots of trees and bushes planted along the church grounds. Then it was followed up with a thick layer of mulch. While driving past the building in the dark, we noticed parking lot lights and they were on! What a beautiful building this is! We just cant wait to see inside! Hopefully we will learn on Wednesday details of the repaired damaged parts from the water leak.

Moving Forward...

Lots of progress on the outside of the building this week! We are surprised to see that trees and bushes are being planted for landscaping! How exciting! I didn't realize that these could be planted in the winter.

No word on the work inside. Certainly the contractors are feverishly working to correct any water damage that was done!

GoOd NeWs Or BaD nEwS?

The good news is that progress is still going forth on the building. The contractors are very dedicated to this project. It has been said, the General Contractor has come in the middle of the night to check on things.


The bad news is that things have changed....delayed. The water was turned on on Wednesday, and the carpet was laid on Wednesday, not on Saturday as I last reported. We drove by on Saturday and saw all the carpet laying outside in the parking lot. The workers were using a little bobcat to smooth out soil.

When we got to Church this morning, my dad was telling me a story. I didn't believe him because he tells stories to get a rise out of me, and I was NOT buying into this one. Then the announcement came over the pulpit by President Powell. My dad's story was not at all an embellishment. I nearly cried. The story goes like this:

The water was turned on in the building on Wednesday, and carpet was laid. Work was continuing as usual. The General Contractor woke in the middle of the night, went to check on the building, and everything was fine. Thursday morning, when workers arrived, water was coming out of every door. :( I don't know what has happened, if a water main broke, froze or was not hooked up completely, but it was really bad. The font was only a foot or two full, as far as I can remember Sister Powell telling me, but it was because all the drains in the building (bathrooms, font, kitchen, custodial closet) were working over time, but were not able to keep up with the water flow.

Damage: Reportedly, the sisal has been removed from the walls now. Fans are blowing trying to dry things out. Sheet rock will have to be removed. I am not sure if it is from chair rail down or all of it. It depends on whether it wicked all the way up or not.

Someone said to me when we heard this was that God was punishing us, but it is Satan who doesn't want our building.

So, as it stands, work is continuing on. This is but a small set back. Disappointing for sure, but at least it wasn't a fire. :O)

Looking at the pictures, the trash is full of debris left over from the flooding, and the carpet still sits out in the parking lot. It will be replaced as well as the sisal (sisal is sort of a jute twine carpet that is used for walls). Another big plus is that there is NO furnishings in the building that could have been destroyed, although I wonder about the lower kitchen cabinets.

Work will continue, and even though this is a wound to the building, we will still have our beautiful building to meet in soon!

The trash over-floweth.

The ruined carpet, blowing in the wind.