When I opened my restaurant in 1997, we had renovated a small 1500 sq. ft. former café that was just big enough for nine tables in the dining room and a small lounge with four more tables and four stools at the bar. We managed to pack it in and keep those tables turning as much as possible but by the end of our second busy season, on many nights, we realized we were turning away more customers than we were feeding. We had the core elements of a great staff, a menu that people responded to and an experience that was unique for our little resort community. What we didn’t have was a facility that enabled us to live into our full potential. So we took a leap of faith.
We began construction of a new 10,000 sq. ft. restaurant, in a better location. In addition to more seating, we designed and built a kitchen that could meet the demands on all even the busiest of days or nights. We also included spaces that allowed us to expand our operations with a coffee bar, a gift shop and meeting and banquet rooms with a separate catering kitchen for both on-site and off-site events. While the building itself was an integral part of our guest experience, its functionality was a key driver to the expansion of our business. As with anything, you have to have the right tools in your hands to get the job done right.
Our church is blessed to have such a great collection of people in our midst. The members of this community continue to be so dedicated to the variety of ministries that happen here. It’s inspiring to work alongside so many, both volunteers and staff members alike. But these people also need the right tools in their hands. For alliterative reasons our “Build Us Up” giving campaign and worship series calls them “props” but they’re no less important to our ability to be the church God is calling us to be.
One of the most important tools we use is our facility itself. For just about 64 years, this congregation has been using a building perched on a hill at the corner of County Rd. C and Victoria in Roseville as a base for ministry that has delivered on God’s mission in countless ways. Over those years, the building has been expanded multiple times, re-carpeted, re-roofed, re-painted, renewed. Each time work needed to be done, the members of this community stepped in with their time, their energy and their checkbooks to make renovations possible. As a result, Prince of Peace has had what it takes to remain a vibrant contributor to making God’s vision a reality, serving our neighbors in love and worshiping the God who has made all things possible.
As the members of this community are once again in deliberation on how to best renew our facility, let’s consider how the tools we have are meeting the needs of the demands of how and where we are being called to ministry today. For our members now discerning the financial commitments they’ll be making for the coming year, may God reveal the promise and possibility of even greater investment into all the resources we require. And may God continue to bless us as we faithfully respond to God’s call to build up the church and love the world.
May God’s peace find you this day. -Pastor Peter
Let us pray…
God of generosity, you have filled the world with goodness. You have also invited us to use all that you have given so that all creation will continue to thrive. Help us to employ the unique gifts you have instilled in each person for the sake of the whole world. Build us up, Lord. Fill your church with people inspired to lead, with the props necessary to support our work, and with the partnerships that enable us to expand our reach. Amen.
Build Us Up: 2022 Annual Giving Campaign – A Prayer for Discernment