Bits and Pieces – 208th Edition – September 15, 2024

     It seems amazing that thirty years have elapsed since we opened our new church on September 17, 1994.  The building was full as Dr. Paisley preached the opening sermon on a very hot day.  The new air-conditioning was not working too well so with that, and the packed church, it was not too comfortable.  Nevertheless, it was a blessed day.

     We started the building in April of 1993, and all went well until we got the basement up to ground level.  It was then that the water supply pipe from Scarborough burst and flooded the newly finished basement.  It took three days and several pumps to empty it.

     When the main building was up to roof level the builder, Bill Irwin, told us that he thought the structural steel designers had erred in their calculations, and that the roof, when fully loaded with winter snow, would cause the walls to bow out.  He was right and, after much head scratching, two massive steel beams were installed from roof to basement foundations to solve the problem.

     Apart from these two situations the work progressed favourably.  It took about a year and a half from the first sod to the finished building.  Most everyone who has seen it comments on its beauty.  The Lord fulfilled His promise of 1977, “The Lord is able to give thee much more than this” [2 Chronicles 25:9].

     The decade of the 1990s was one of the busiest in the church’s short history. In 1989, the old school was purchased. Then, we tried to buy an acre and a half to build the church. The developer did not want to sell the acreage but changed his mind in two weeks. We bought the property and built the church.

     Then, in 1999, we bought six acres from the same developer to build the new school. Land prices had dropped dramatically. The building was started as soon as the frost was gone in 1999 and finished by October.

     It was opened by Dr. Bob Jones III and dedicated by Dr. Ian Paisley the following week.  We give thanks to God for His marvellous provision of the church and school.  With the Psalmist we gratefully say, “The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” [Psalm 126:3].

     If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two – if He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do?  Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room to such an honoured Guest, and all the food you’d serve to Him would be the very best.

     But, when you saw Him coming would you meet Him at the door, or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in?  Or, hide some magazines, and put the Bible where they had been?

     Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn’t heard?  Would you hide your worldly music, and put some hymn books out instead?  Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?

     And I wonder – if the Saviour spending a day or two with you – would you go right on doing the things you always do?  And say the things you always say?

    Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the books you always read?  And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?

     Would you take Jesus everywhere you’d planned to go?  Or would you change your plans for just a day or so?  Would you be glad to have Him meet your closest friends?  Or, would you hope they’d stay away until His visit ends?

     Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?  Or, would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?  It might be interesting what you would do if Jesus came in person to spend some time with you. [Author  unknown]