Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? Declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. (Haggai 1:7-9 ESV)

This afternoon a number of men from the chapel came out for a work-bee to install phase I of our chapel upgrades this summer (thanks guys!). These included audio-visual upgrades (a new lap-top, projector, monitors and sound upgrades) and phase II will be the replacement of historic plaques at the front of the chapel to the rear to make space for the projector to project upon, as well as the placement of a cross.

As a local Christian fellowship we believe that the meeting house, chapel, church or whatever one calls the physical place where worship and ministry centre around, is not the Church but merely facilitates its life. The Church is the community of the redeemed in Christ both local and universal. The chapel building, like our new audio-visual upgrades, is only a tool to facilitate local ministry. We are grateful for this building entrusted to us and seek to maintain it in such a way as to glorify God. Bearing in mind that our chapel is not “the Temple” and what has been said above, we desire to ensure our chapel is ship shape and Bristol fashion for the following reasons:

1. So passersby’s or visitors will see the glory of God because this buildings is cared for in such a way as to magnify the Lord and be useful for His service;
2. So people will know that our God is not a shoddy God but worthy of our physical and spiritual sacrifices of worship (*I recognize poor chapels cannot always do this and so while important does not necessarily represent the heart of a church. Likewise a church may be quite ornate and the hearts of its people empty); and
3. So that the chapel itself may serve as a help and not a hindrance as worshippers seek to behold the glory of God in worship, be built up in the faith and respond in service.

We desire to make the Lord and his chapel, but much more importantly, His Gospel, His ways and His mission the prime priority in our lives, lest while our houses may be decked to the nines, the Lord’s work suffers neglect.

The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,

Pastor Chris