This came to mind after I wrote the other posts.
IF (huge IF) you had planned any major building improvements this year AND IF you have the funds to do them, then I encourage you to do them while your church building is closed.
Some churches need to
- do HVAC upgrades
- paint rooms and hallways
- install new carpet
- have a deep cleaning of the building (a good idea to do now anyway)
- overhaul your grounds
- etc.
If you had planned to do something like this, take advantage that your building is closed to the public and you can do some building work and be messy and not have to clean up by Sunday.
A few years ago I had a 2100-seat Sanctuary painted. The painters built the scaffolding every Monday and dismantled it every Friday and that was lost labor. If I had been able to leave the scaffolding up over the weekend or even let the painters work on the weekend, it would have saved time and money.
Here’s a secret tip from when I painted the Sanctuary – we had banners hanging in there. I took down these pretty big banners and we painted sample colors behind them. That allowed the color selection committee to see what it would look like on a big section of the wall in different lighting (morning, afternoon, and evening). Then, before Sunday we hung up the banners and no one knew there was a different color behind it. After a week or two of painting behind the banners, the committee chose the color and we started painting. (Alas, the four week paint job turned into six weeks because we had a rash of funerals and had to stop painting and put the Sanctuary pews back in place!).
Keep up the wonderful work you’re doing during this tough time. Take a few moments each day just to walk around – your home, your neighborhood, and maybe your church building. Walking is good, walking and talking to God is better. I’m praying for you all and I know you’re doing the same for your colleagues.
Lead On!
Steve