We Have Work to Do

Thoughts from Tina and Lee Grubb which appeared in the May 23, 2004, issue of Steeple Notes.

Our 36-year "connection" with our church's lovely sanctuary began with weekly phone calls from Lee's mother (in Ohio), very early every Sunday morning shortly after our arrival in Michigan, asking if we planned to go to church that morning. The only way we could stop them, we figured, was to halt her in her tracks with a resounding "Yes!" We found First Church in the phone book, came one warm September morning, heard Dr. Thomas preach, and we were hooked! Over the years, we have heard four senior ministers and countless associates and guests speak from the pulpit. We have experienced changes in liturgy and hymn tunes. Since then, we have left the church twice: once for an Army "tour," and once for a GM "tour" in the U.K., moving at Christmastime, when the sanctuary was brimming with red poinsettias, lighted wreaths, Advent candles and a live tree decorated with Barbara Bunce's chrismons. (This was in stark contrast to the church we attended in England, with no stained glass windows, no flowers, no choir robes for the choir, and not enough heat or light!) Years later, the season produced more memories when our daughter progressed from shepherd to angel in the children's Christmas Eve pageants and our son was a page to Dick Kopple's wise man in the "big" pageant. Vividly, we recall the rehearsal for that performance, when our Jeff did the "monkey" as he went down the aisle behind his stately king. Our sanctuary is a place where full ranges of emotion have been shared by all entering its reverent space. A beautiful wedding (our son's, last May), an especially meaningful funeral, and a baptism (our daughter spit up on Dr. Wright!) are a few examples. And who can forget the profound sense of comfort, strength and Christian solidarity when our ministers walked purposefully down the center aisle the night after the Twin Towers crumbled to the ground. Many faith-full experiences have been added over the years: inspiring Lenten dinner speakers, our haunting Maundy Thursday service, a sea of red in the pews for Pentecost, and the Live At First concert series, to name a few. We have seen a phenomenal youth population increase in all areas. From the palm-waving throngs of little ones to the singers wrapping up the end of Vacation Bible School week to the returning Choir Camp singers to the filled-to-capacity children's choirs of all ages, the sanctuary has seen monumental growth as well as the accompanying wear and tear. And now it is time for an update. The commissioning of a new organ is just the catalyst we need to make other necessary changes, to improve the acoustics and to accommodate larger choirs and modern programming. It's time to replace worn, stretched-to-the-limits carpeting. It's time for a "face lift." And it's well deserved. Lee's mother is nearly 89 years old now. Even she did not realize the profound effect her phone calls, all those years ago, would have on the lives of her son and his family. She has our undying gratitude. And every time we tell her that, she just smiles. Tina and Lee Grubb