I was a little anxious all week about the move. With little more than a couple of weeks’ notice we were moving our worship gathering from the local high school to The State Theatre. I loved the idea–downtown, across from Penn State’s campus, in an auditorium with that delightful conditioned air, a room designed for music and video…If any building in town captures the ethos of midtown, it’s The State Theatre. It’s the perfect blend of Town and Gown, of City and College. I love that place, and I’m thrilled to get to worship and talk about the Lord Jesus there.
But there were some complications: children’s ministry would be a puzzle, parking downtown could be tough, and there’s another church meeting in the building–we’re sharing space, meeting together for the summer. Navigating the aspects of that relationship could prove to be tricky. The simple fact of changing location complicated things. We needed all new signs. This move meant totally new set-up and tear-down routines. Working with a new group of people in the new building added new personalities, new expectations and systems…
The bottom line: WIN.
Everyone I’ve talked to has been positive about the experience, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team. From the folks who mapped out the “how and where” to the people who lugged in the boxes to the worship team that carved out an extra day to sound check, I felt like a proud papa watching his kids play well.
The staff of the State Theatre were great! They made us feel welcome and looked for ways to serve. Rich Biever and his staff run a great operation. And kudos to the folks from New Hope Church. Pastor Ben and his crew are proving to be great friends and allies!
Of course, there are things that need to be tweaked. We’ll continue to adjust and learn the best ways to get in and out. And I’m sure that once the novelty wears off we’ll start to get on each other’s nerves!
But I have to say that I’d put our team up there in that rarified air where the best go about their business. We have some of the friendliest, hardest working, genuinely-concerned-about-others people I know. It’s a blessing to get to serve alongside these folks.
If you happen to catch them serving at midtown next Sunday, you can tell them that I was bragging on them. Don’t expect them to get the big-head, though. They’ll deflect and ask you if there’s anything they can do to help you…Here’s a link to a map that will lead you to the treasure that is the folks of midtown.
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