Resurrecting the Dead…Space

It was a bright crisp fall morning as we drove up the hill in central Texas. We had spoken with the lovely family over the phone earlier in the month, who expressed their desire to improve their worship space. From their description, it seemed like a sweet, small, homegrown church. But we were unaware of what lurked inside. Eagerly we approached the front doors to meet with the team.

As we crossed the threshold, the atmosphere shifted, and the very air seemed to get colder…heavier. A reception desk stood at the entrance like a gargoyle, guarding the mysteries inside. To our left, dim flourescent lights shone along the eerie barnwood wood walls, illuminating a shadowy coffee bar beyond. A terrifying tower of toilet paper, remains of holidays past, and a monstrous array of donated furniture from past lives were scattered about the space. Disorganization lurked everywhere, disrupting any hope of serenity for those seeking solace in worship. And so our work began…

We exorcised the space of its stagnant energy — ripping doors from their hinges, dismembering light fixtures, shredding the carpet, and slicing the wall to the coffee bar completely open. As the devastation laid bare, we then began the healing process.

New features like a colossal coffee bar and secured weekday lobby sparked new life into the fellowship. The once-low, devouring ceiling, was adorned with intricate wood trim that glowed with the warmth of hope, illuminated by the ethereal brilliance of new LED fixtures. The miles and miles of toilet paper, threatening to ensnare us in its pale web, were seized and confined, finding solace within the embrace of new base cabinetry. The furniture, once possessed by disarray, was tamed into elegant, organized seating groups, each piece finding its rightful place in the divine order we invoked. Thus, the church stood, no longer a shadowy haven for relics of the past, but a sanctuary of light and love.