Grace Community Christian Church

 

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Moving Again! (5/4/07)

We're moving again. After almost eleven years on Tuscarora Drive (the longest either of us has ever lived in any one spot) we're buying an end-unit town home over near the big State Farm building off of Route 26. No more last minute walks home to get that forgotten piece of paper or book. No more keeping an eye out on the cars coming in & out of the church parking lot. Or on the neighborhood kids playing on the playground equipment. Now guests to our home will require maps & detailed directions, instead of the much simpler, "Go to the shed & walk across the lawn!"

Being a "preachers kid" (PK), my wife has lived for most of her life in a church-provided house. And while there are indeed some horror stories of inconsiderate & puny minded church people running roughshod over a minister's family's privacy & decorating style, we have none to tell. Our experience in parsonage life, especially here, has been nothing but warm & welcoming & immensely respectful towards our whole family. Bedrooms were painted purple. Glow in the dark stars were glued to ceilings. Kitchens were painted Home Depot orange. Bulky kitchen cabinets were torn down. New floors were put in. Appliances were relocated to other floors, then relocated back. Lawncare & snow removal was provided for. One hundred foot Canadian clotheslines were permitted & even admired. Dogs & cats & birds & fish & lizards were tolerated. Not once were any of our family ever made to feel like second class citizens because we lived in a home we didn't own. And we thank the church for that.

Kim is feeling a bit guilty about the new house; she's gotten used to being the onsite overseer. And perhaps remarkably, when she has some discretionary time, she still loves coming over to the church building & puttzing around, just finding chores to be done that others easily overlook, & doing them. Having spent her entire life in the church environment, I think she draws immense security just being around the place where God's people gather. I suppose there are worse inclinations.

Me? I'm going to miss the roar from Dave Hyden's porch when the Redskins score or get scored upon. I'm going to miss the sinful aroma of his BBQ grilling. The rabbits scurrying under the big pine trees. The groundhog family that lives under the sheds. The quiet times spent gently rocking on the porch swing. The Balderdash games on our back porch & the power croquet battles in the yard. The Dobermans who live next door (NOT!) And of course, the two car garage.

And even though our kids have all flown the nest, they're finding it hard to imagine coming home to a home that, well, isn't really home.

I think it's a good move for us. Kind of a fresh start of sorts, which sometimes we all need. A more densely populated neighborhood means more opportunities to connect with residents & maybe steer them toward the things of God. A floor plan more conducive to hosting larger groups for fellowship & teaching & fun. An opportunity to grow some equity of our own. Less than a mile to California Tortilla.

And an empty parsonage, just waiting for that co-pastor we're praying for to move in & begin generating enthusiasm & direction for our youth ministry. Oh yeah, & to maybe repaint the kitchen to something that doesn't glow at night!


Jim Dewar --