Pews don't miss a beat despite interstate swap
___By Jonathan Williams
___Special to the Standard
___FLOWER MOUND--When Emmanuel Baptist Church of Rochester, Minn., and First Baptist Church of Flower Mound formed a three-year partnership during the late 1990s, neither pastor thought their partnership would lead them into the furniture-moving business.
___During the partnership, the Flower Mound church sent mission teams to Minnesota to help with construction projects, conduct Vacation Bible School and present a musical for the community in a nearby school. But the need for adequate seating provided a new, unique opportunity for the churches to work together.
___For Emmanuel Baptist, the summer of 2000 had been spent building new educational space and expanding their auditorium to accommodate more worshippers. First Baptist Church of Flower Mound almost simultaneously had voted to replace the 12-year-old pews in their auditorium with chairs to increase worship seating capacity.
___With all the work that accompanied the remodeling of Flower Mound's sanctuary, "our biggest concern was how to dispose of the 30 pews," said Pastor David Williams. "We advertised them on the Internet and notified the association and state convention, but for awhile it seemed that no one needed them."
___Meanwhile, George Ray, pastor of the Minnesota church, struggled with the obstacle of finding adequate seating for new worshippers in his church's expanded space.
___"About that time, I received an e-mail from David that First Baptist was planning to replace their pews with chairs, so I got in touch with him about the possibility of bringing the pews to Minnesota," Ray said.
___Although Ray's interest was not the only one, Williams said God showed him the decision to make.
___"The same week I heard from George, I finally received a couple of other contacts from groups interested in the pews," Williams said. "But when I learned Emmanuel needed them, it seemed that was where God wanted them to go."
___Thus set the stage for the simultaneous weekend moving day for both churches.
___Volunteer workers from the Flower Mound congregation devoted Sunday afternoon and all of Labor Day to a renovation of their worship center, including enlarging the stage, installing a video projector and screen, pulling up the carpet and painting the interior walls. Their first order of business was removing the pews and setting them outside.
___Meanwhile, Ray made a quick flight to Texas and rented a truck. Several men of First Baptist and Ray's son-in-law, Doug Gaston, helped load all the pews into the truck.
___On Tuesday and Wednesday, Ray drove the truck back to Minnesota, getting there in time for the men of Emmanuel Baptist to unload the pews on Wednesday night. They immediately moved the pews into the auditorium and were using them the next Sunday.
___"It was amazing that the color of the wood and even the upholstery on the pews matched what we already had," Ray said. "God just works out all the details. These pews are a continual blessing to us, and each Sunday we are thankful for our wonderful sister congregation in Flower Mound."
___Ray said he calculated the value of the pews to be between $20,000 and $25,000, while the church's expense in receiving them was just a little over $1,000.
___The connection between the two churches pre-dates the partnership they had during the 1990s. The whole story began more than 20 years ago.
___Ray was pastor of First Baptist Church of Justin from 1974 to 1982. In 1980, Ray and his congregation helped start First Baptist Church of Flower Mound.
___"One of the great lessons in this is that what we do for the Lord has ongoing ramifications," Ray said. "We worked hard, prayed much and invested in the beginning of First Baptist Church of Flower Mound. Then 20 years later, that congregation works hard, prays much and is generous in sharing in our ministry here in Minnesota. Isn't it great the way God works things out and that our labor for him is just an investment in the future?"
___Editor's note: Emmanuel Baptist Church of Rochester, Minn., needs half a dozen men to help with remodeling their church facility the last two weeks of June. Work will involve moving walls, framing, hanging doors and installing trim. RV hook-ups are available, or motels are located nearby. Contact Bill Williamson, leadership consultant for the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention by calling (507) 288-1382 or sending e-mail to 70420.2170@compuserve.com.
The Baptist Standard
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!