2Advent Sunday--NORTH STAR HAS A DEDICATED SPACE!!!

After seven, count them, SEVEN years of "putting up and taking down worship" at Shoal Creek Elementary School outside Liberty, today North Star moved in to a warehouse on "Plumbers Lane" (named after a plumbing supply store nearby, not Watergate shenanigins) nestled (?)behind the Green Lantern Car wash (the biggest car wash I have ever seen) amidst ice and sleet. Wow, what a very nice space! This serves as is an in-between space until they are ready to build at their location west of Liberty. They have officed out of an upstairs sort-of apartment space near the square in Liberty and have lived a nomadic experience for small groups and other meetings, being in homes, etc. Ric, one of the leaders of the church, said this was the first time in seven years he didn't have to get up at 5 am on Sunday to set up chairs for the early service, and he actually got to drive to church with his wife. There are classrooms and an office, and....STORAGE. Inside. Every Sunday the putters-up and takers-down would place the items that were used in worship (including I think AV equipment) in a trailer that I believe sat on the school parking lot? Or maybe it was hauled off. I'm not sure.

In any case, not only was it grand to be there for this first day in, it was, at it always is, simply grand to be in worship with this fine group of folks. Many different lay persons lead in worship--the worship team, the announcement giver/welcomer (who led in prayer); the worship leaders(who led in prayer); the prayers of the people pray-er (who led us in prayer); the person who read the scripture (who led us in prayer). The emphasis here is not on any of the prayers in particular, as WONDERFUL as that is (and I will get back to that) but the fact that this many lay people were at ease leading in prayer in front of the worshiping community. I REALLY like that and it feels good and right. The first pray-er prayed, I think first of all, a prayer of thanks for the set-up people (which is North Star's quicker way of saying "putter uppers and taker downers") who had been doing their thing for so long.

Thank you, thank you North Star and founding pastor Brian Roots for the prayers, the mission work, the love, and just the very solidly good spirit that makes North Star such a joy to be around. We began worship in the "great hall" outside the sanctuary space and sang a song that welcomed Christ's spirit in that place. It really felt like Advent at North Star, today!