Joshua 3:14-4:7

The Children of Israel had wandered in the deserts. Years before they had set out from Egypt toward the Promised Land. At times it seemed they would never get there. One obstacle after another got in their way. There was not enough water, not enough food, kings attacked them. But God was with them through it all feeding them providing water and protecting them.

Finally after all that time they came to the Promised Land. Or more correctly they came to the bank of the Jordan. They had not arrived yet. They still needed to cross the Jordan and it was swollen beyond its banks. How do you get 1 and a half million people and their livestock across a flooding river?

The answer is that you have to step out in faith. God stops the river to allow the children of Israel to cross. But the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant have to step foot in the river first. Once they have stepped into the river God stopped it allowing the children of Israel to cross into the Promised Land.

We have spent years getting to this place. The journey started almost 8 years ago in October 2000 when an exploratory Committee was established to outline the need for new Sunday School facilities. The report of that committee recommended forming a Building Committee to plan for the construction of a Sunday School Building. For 7 years this group has worked to bring us to this day.

But the journey has not been without its difficulties. When we started the church owed over $300,000 on two mortgages. Along the way we realized that we didn't even have enough parking for the current attendance and that we needed to provide some temporary classrooms for our Sunday School. So we expanded our parking lot and leased two portable classrooms. It took two capital funds campaigns and five years to get us to a point where we had paid off our debt and had $800,000 in the bank. God was with us guiding us thought that wilderness providing all we needed.

God saw us through all of this. God guided us through the capital campaigns. God, through the congregation and other contributors, provided what we needed financially to bring us to this place. Through the District and Conference we received over $70,000 in grants. Despite building delays, we have come to this day.

We now stand on the banks of the Jordan. But we have not yet entered the Promised Land. We still have to cross the Jordan. Like the children of Israel just arriving at the Promised Land is not enough. Sure we have gotten to the point where the have a wonderful new Sunday School Building. But we have to begin filling it with people and activities for knowing Jesus and making Him known to others.

But how do we cross over. How do we cross over from a mode of having all our activities in one big room to having classrooms for every class and then some and a separate Fellowship Hall? How do we transition from being limited by our space to having more than enough space for all the church's ministries and for new ministries? Some would say we have arrived and we can all sit back and rest. We have come a long way and deserve a rest.

But our purpose for this journey was not merely our own comfort but to create opportunities for expanding the ministries of Grace. Instead of resting on our accomplishments, we need to start thinking outside the box. Or perhaps having a bigger box we need to think outside the old box so we can best use the new box, then think outside that box. We will need to experiment. We will need to find new ways to reach out into the community with the Love of God and to provide spiritual growth.

How do we cross over? We have to step out in faith. When the children of Israel crossed over they have to step onto the water before God stopped the river to allow them to cross on dry land. They had to step out in faith.

That is what we will be doing today. We will be stepping out in faith and beginning the process of possessing this building which God has provided for His ministry. At the end of the 11 am service we will process across the walk way from this building to the new building. We will symbolically cross the Jordan. And like, the children of Israel we will gather "stones" to symbolize our Crossing.

Today may be the end of an 8 year long journey. But it is the beginning of a new journey. It is the beginning of an endeavor to possess this new building for God. We may be consecrating the building today, but we will consecrate it anew ever time we use it. Ever time we open its doors to conduct ministries to know Jesus and make Him known to others will be a new consecration.

1 Corinthians 3:10-17

When Mary was little she had her own way of labeling things. And ironically is often more precise than the names that we adults used. For instance she never talked about people being black or white. If she referred to their skin color it was pink or brown. And if you stop and look around we are all varying shades of pink and brown. In the same vein she had a unique label for churches. Often times we would be driving through the country side and from her car seat she would see a steeple with a cross on it. And she would point and say "Jesus' church." Did she just associate the words "Jesus" and "church" or did she know that at some level every church belongs to Jesus.

Paul I think would agree with her labeling. Paul did not call the church in Corinth his church. He played a major roll in establishing the church for sure. He calls himself a master building who set its foundations. But he says he did this only by the grace that God had given him. He was a "like a skilled Master builder" because God had made him so.

And he recognized that he was not the only builder to work on the church in Corinth. Others like Apollos had ministered there. He had planted but Apollos had watered. And in the end God had caused the growth of that congregation.

That's the way it is with Grace. We are building on the foundation laid by others. Back in 1984 a group of churches had a vision. They could see a new church on the northwest side of Columbia. With the help of the bishop and the conference Paul Wood was appointed to start this new church. And land was bought in a new development called Harbison for this new church.

Through the years this church and this vision grew. A group of brave and adventuresome souls started meeting at Irmo Elementary School for worship and Sunday School. After four years or praying and stepping out in faith Grace United Methodist built this current building. Ministries began growing out of this congregation. Grace was a part of the creation of the Wheels van ministry and continues to be a supporter or it. Boy Scouts and later Girl Scouts found a home here. Bible Studies for the residents of Lakeside and Woods Edge and services for the residents of Eden Garden were started.

Bruce Sayer pastored the church through some difficult periods in the early days. Ed Mc Williams "Big Ed" took the reigns of the church and led it into the 21st century. Its outreach was expanded it stewardship was enhanced. It began earning the first of its now nine 5 star evangelism awards.

And now we are about to build on that in a very concrete sense. What we do today is built on a foundation laid by many other dedicated Christians. By God's grace the members of Grace in years past have, like master builders, laid this foundation. It was God who made it possible, but it was through their faith and dedication that the Spirit did it.

Paul knew that others were building and would continue to build on the foundation he laid. So he urged the Corinthians to be careful what they built. The materials you use to build with are important. The quality and value of the materials will be revealed in the long run. In times of trial the insubstantial structures will be burned away. and the quality of the work will be reveled.

In the same way we should be careful of the kind of materials we use. We are building on a good foundation. Grace is an exceptional church. But what we do will be tested some day. Will it stand the fires of trial?

So this is Jesus' church and we are building on a foundation someone else has laid. Even tough that is the case we should build carefully. We should choose good materials. We should use high quality items to build this church out of. And if we are building the household of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, shouldn't we use only the best materials: gold, silver, precious gems!

As you may have guessed I am not really talking about the Sunday School building we are breaking ground for today. I am talking about building the church. And the church after all is not a building. You are the church. I am the church. The church is the people. It is a community of faith.

But this building is an important reflection and tool of the people who meet here. This new building is not the church, but is a place where the church can meet and be the church. It is a place where believers can gather to serve God, to teach and learn, to fellowship and support one another. It is a facility where ministries that reach out into the community can find a base. This is a place where the church's faithfulness can find growing room.

Today we do not just break ground on a two story Sunday School building with a fellowship hall. We break ground on a new phase of the growth of this church. In nine months the construction of the physical building should be finished. But the building of the church will only begin at that point. Imagine what we can do to serve God.

Begin praying for God to show us the possibilities. This congregation ha been able to do more with less and many church twice our size. Just imagine what more God will give us the grace to with this new facility to house His ministry! Today we do not just break ground on a new church building, we are breaking ground on a place to house the church, God's temple.