Memories from my Old Church Building

My church is moving into a new building in about a month. I have been going to our current building for my whole life. It is kind of weird to be moving out. As part of the process of celebrating the good things that happened in that building, they have asked each of us to share some memories, which they are posting on the church website and using in the final service in the current building. My wife recently posted her memories. Here are mine. (Note: Some of these memories are going to make more sense to people who have been a part of my church. For others, it may feel like inside jokes. Herd = Junior High youth group. Student Body = Senior High Youth Group. Project Serve = Summer mission trip for students. Main Street Chapel = Student Ministries Building. 209 House = Student Ministries Offices.)

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There is not enough space for almost 26 years of memories.

I remember Awana, with all of the frantic cramming and hasty recitation of Bible verses. Mrs. Brown would always make me go back and try to learn them again because I never remembered the reference. Her patience and my desire for prizes combined into a real blessing from God, because most of the passages I memorized then are still with me today.

I remember Breakout, the junior high prayer meeting that met early before school. All the older boys would chase the 7th graders around, but I kept coming anyway because they served Lucky Charms and my Mom didn’t. I’m glad I did, because this is one of key places where I learned to pray.

I remember being baptized in the main sanctuary. It was scary and cold and one of the best moments of my life. I come and witness as many baptisms as I can at WBC because never get over the wonder of seeing someone embrace new life through Christ’s death and resurrection.

I remember as a teenager sneaking into every corner of the building, from the storage behind the sanctuary, to the closets between the bathrooms in the gym, to the roof of Main Street Chapel. I think I know this building as well as any home I’ve ever lived in.

I remember getting my first job at 17 as a Gatekeeper. That consisted of sitting at the front desk for hours on end, stuffing the pew racks with giving envelopes, and preparing the candles for the candlelight service on Christmas Eve. We used to always get collect calls from some crazy guy who said he was “Jesus.” We weren’t supposed to answer them, but I mean, when Jesus calls collect, you accept the charges.

I remember my first Project Serve experience. We were sitting in the lobby of the main building with brown paper bags on our head, waiting to be chosen by a leader to find out what sites we were on. At that moment I swore that I would be a student leader the next year so that I didn’t have to do that again. This year is the first time in 12 years that I haven’t been on Project Serve. I’m thankful for every one of those trips because they taught me the value of missional living and gave me a potent vision of what it means to be a worshiping, serving community.

I remember giving my first sermon in Student Body in 11th grade. I have no idea why Rob Rienow thought I could do it, but I’m glad he gave me the chance. It wasn’t a very good sermon, but it is how I discovered my calling to teach the Bible.

I remember volunteering to be a Herd leader when I was in college. Week after week, Chris McElwee had us filling rooms in WBC with unusual objects, from hundreds of over-sized inner tubes to tarps full of slippery slime to strobe lights, all so we could gather junior highers and tell them about God. Some of my best memories are the nights where we didn’t play any games or watch goofy videos, but instead taught 7th and 8th graders that the coolest thing of all is to worship Jesus. Some of those junior highers are now missionaries.

I remember hundreds of meetings with high school students in the 209 house, where we would pray and plot about how to reach their world. I remember showing up to Main Street Chapel very early every Sunday morning for two years to get ready for Student Body. I’d look over the notes for my lesson, track down all the misplaced tech equipment, and pray like crazy for the students that I would be teaching that day.

I remember the first meeting of Ecclesia in Main Street Chapel, a little experiment in doing church in a new way in the hope of reaching the postmodern, post-Christian world around us. Four years later, I still love gathering with that community, to celebrate, learn, pray, and break bread together.

My favorite memory of all is meeting Michelle Sokoloski in a student leader meeting for Student Body. I thought she was cute. She thought I was an arrogant nerd. I remember how five years later, I watched Michelle walk down the aisle of the sanctuary to become Michelle Keenon. I still think she is cute, and she still thinks I’m a nerd.

Some of the best moments of my life were spent in the buildings on Main and Franklin. I am truly thankful for all that God has done during my time on that campus. I’ll miss it. I hope the new campus will provide as many good memories for us as this one has.