Good Friday. A day of remembrance. The day death died because of the death of the Son of God. I look forward with anticipation to worship this Sunday and remembering the hope of the resurrection from the dead.

Ironic to me that this Good Friday marked the three-month anniversary of a death we continue to mourn – our beloved Joshua. It seems fitting that I would mark that occasion with an encouraging update about our progress on a playground in his memory. Thank you for your patience, family, friends and fans of Josh alike, as wheels in churches tend to turn slowly and we at OGC can be no exception.

I am so very thrilled to report that to date we have received into the fund a whopping $18,192 dollars! God is so good. The budget for the project, even with us doing the “sweat equity,” is $25,000. Yes, safe, durable playgrounds are that pricey!

Last Monday night, our elders agreed on the following in terms of how to proceed from here:

1. Opportunity for anyone to contribute to the fund will remain open until June 1.
2. Our deacons will continue to do the prep work involved in getting our ducks in a row for building the playground.
3. Construction of the project will likely occur in November of this year, after the hot weather breaks. Adequate notice will be given as to the times and dates so anyone who would like to help with the construction will be able to do so.
4. Construction will be followed by a dedication service as the playground opens for use.

Would you pray with me for the remaining funds to come in? If you have yet to make a gift, you can do so by writing your check to OGC and indicating on the memo line your designation for the playground. My thanks to you in advance.

One reason for the delay in building the playground, other than the funds, is that starting April 20, after the Easter service, Nancy and I will be on sabbatical for two months. There simply wasn’t enough time to try and pull this thing off in the cool of the Spring. So we pushed things back. Again, I thank you for your patience.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me when I return in June or check in with the church office.