In three short months, we will celebrate our church’s 185th birthday. If you let that sink in for a moment, your appreciation for the longevity of ministry in the heart of Griffin cannot help but grow. Our physical doors remain open by the grace of God and thanks to the efforts of many gifted stewards of God’s blessings who have maintained our properties through the years.
In Dr. Bruce Morgan’s Narratives of Grace, Dr. Bill Hardee acknowledged the nature of the task before us:
Property needs in a church with the sheer size of our physical plant are unending. We clearly needed to develop ways of funding the long-term upkeep on our facilities…Early in his tenure as properties chair, Harry Burkhalter worked with Eddie Jones, our maintenance manager, to create a seven-year plan for property upkeep. They developed a schedule to help us anticipate when equipment might fail and need to be replaced, and placed all anticipated needs — from roofs to HVAC to painting — on a calendar. Each year, if available, funds would be drawn from designated funds to meet the projected property needs for the coming year. Funds would be held in a property reserve account until needed for those projects. (Morgan, 83)
This year alone, our Properties Committee has been proactive in the care of our church facilities. The committee has overseen aspects of the breezeway conversion to an enclosed gallery, the hard pruning (and some removal) of shrubbery and trees around the church, painting, repair of soffets and facia around the building, repairs to the boiler and HVAC system, carpet cleaning, pressure washing, and countless minor repairs throughout the building.
We owe our Properties Committee a debt of gratitude for the hours they have dedicated to planning, arranging, overseeing, and inspecting work to keep our facilities in the best working condition we can have. Your contribution to our regular budget makes it possible for the Properties Committee to follow through on its work. Thank you for partnering with us in this ministry to welcome our community into our worship space.
When you give to the regular budget at FBC Griffin, your contribution supports a host of vital ministries throughout the church. Each month, we spotlight the incredible work of one of the ministries your giving supports through an article in the Your Giving in Action series. You can give to our regular budget online at fbcgriffin.org/give. You may also place your gift in the offering plate on Sunday morning, drop it by the church office, or mail it to: FBC Griffin, P.O. Box 908, Griffin, GA 30224. If you would like to read more about how your budget contributions support the many vibrant ministries at First Baptist, then we invite you to read other articles in this series, please click here.