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 October
7, 2003
Dear
First Church Friends:
Rarely
do I get blown away by a comment. But that's exactly
what happened yesterday when a pair of staff members
from another church entered our building for a meeting.
They were quite familiar with our facility, but hadn't
been here in a while. Having heard that we were adding
a rather large addition, they were anxious to see it.
But after walking across the new plaza toward the old
porch, one of them turned to the other and said: "So
where's the new part?"
The
point being that it was all around them, but blended
so perfectly so as to occasion no surprise. Twenty-four
hours later, I took Jack and Betty Benish on a private
tour, their first since departing for Bay View in early
May. Every time Jack turned a corner, he shook his head
in amazement. If I heard him say the words "Great
job, Billy, first class" once, I heard him say
it fifteen times. And Jack is not the easiest sidewalk
superintendent to impress.
But
so much for hype and praise. We are now within two weeks
of completion. All that will remain will be a month-long
process of furnishing. You are encouraged to save Sunday,
November 23 for a marvelous "ribbon cutting"
experience. Past celebrations should tell you that we
know how to do such things well. But as you also know,
we have reached the end of our cash. Truth be told,
it lasted longer than we thought it would. And more
will come. But we will soon be into mortgage money.
Which occasions this letter.
We'd
like to have you consider buying a "shower gift"
for a building. After all, you buy shower
gifts for brides, followed by shower gifts for babies
(ideally, in that order). Why not a shower gift for
a building? All three begin with the letter B. And the
nice thing about a shower gift for a building is that
we won't make you come to a shower. No cake. No punch
with a dollop of lime sherbet. And no games. I never
met anybody who claimed to like shower games. Although
several staff members recently celebrated Joan Benner's
birthday with a rousing game of Over the Hill Bingo.
Joan was thrilled.
Enclosed,
find a "wish list"
for the new Christian Life Center. There are all kinds
of gifts at all kinds of prices. Better yet, we'll buy
them. You don't even have to go to the store. There
is something to satisfy every passion. Maybe you'd like
to buy a basketball or a playground ball. Or maybe you
could spring for a backboard or a slam-dunk rim. Shuffleboard
might be your speed. Or board games and bridge card
sets might better suit you. For those who drink a lot
of coffee, turn immediately to the "Coffee and
Hospitality" section. An old Eagle Scout might
want to buy the furniture for our first-ever Boy Scout
alcove. People concerned about "hang out spaces"
for kids might want to buy something for the Pit. While
those for whom worship and praise is a high priority
might want to turn immediately to that section. And
there's always the Zamboni.
I
have every hope that many of you will turn to the lengthy
section called "Furniture." Several months
ago, you sat in a number of sample chairs and voted
your favorite. Now we need to buy 450 of them at $107
each (plus 50 upholstered chairs for the meeting and
conference rooms). Or if you really want to sit "soft,"
there are sofas. And for those who want to sit outside,
there are terrace chairs for the second floor patio.
At
this point, let me answer a list of questions.
What
if a particular item (or items) is oversubscribed?
Obviously, donations will be earmarked on a first-come,
first-served basis. We will contact others, suggesting
alternative options.
Will
there be a published list of donors? Most assuredly.
In fact, it will be rather creative. Look at the wonderful
way that we recognized the worshipers who attended the
New Year's Eve service at the turn of the century.
Will
there be an opportunity to designate gifts in memory
(or in honor) of others? Of course. Simply note
your desire on the response card.
Can
these "giftings" be substituted for the completion
of a CLC pledge? We would hope they would be above
and beyond your Christian Life Center pledge.
Couldn't
we have gone to a bargain basement and gotten these
things cheaper? Anything's possible, but recall
Jack Benish's comments, shared earlier.
Can
we make a gift toward one of the items, even if we can't
afford the entire amount? Sure. That's a great idea.
Actually,
this could be kind of exciting. And a whole lot of fun.
I hope that all of you will find an appropriate level
of involvement. And I hope that those of you, blessed
with greater resources, will consider a major funding
opportunity. As for Kris and myself, we are in the process
of completing the biggest single pledge we ever made
to a project in our lives. But we will also find some
appropriate gifting options. Starting with a chair or
two. The older we get, the more we need to sit.
How
wonderful it would be to complete this project in a
couple of weeks….at least by Halloween. Even if
you can't pay today, why not return your card today?
Then pour yourself a cup of punch and add a dollop of
lime sherbet for good measure.
Sincerely,
William
A. Ritter
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