Well I don’t know about you, but I was blown away by the response to this year’s anniversary offering – over $31,000!
God is definitely faithful. And so is our Property & Finance Team. They are a group of dedicated and gifted men & women that keep the church building in good working order on a shoe-string budget.
Despite their best efforts, our aging facility is in need of a few upgrades. They recommended, and the Board has approved, 3 separate projects connected to the anniversary offering.
The first is already completed. You may have noticed the new thermal windows in the fellowship hall in the basement. These new windows will help with the aesthetic appearance, energy efficiency and security.
The second project, which is just underway, is a minor renovation of the kitchen adjacent to the fellowship hall.
The Hospitality Team can tell you that it had become difficult to hold dinners with the existing kitchen. The island has been removed, a new sink and new counter tops will be installed, and the cabinets will receive a fresh coat of paint.
The third project is the remodelling of the platform at the front of the sanctuary. Its many levels and dividing walls, while once functional for the Sunday morning service, are now literally barriers to change. As we continue to have more instruments involved on a regular basis and as we would like to have more choirs, dance, drama, and other forms of artistic expressions of worship during the services, it has become necessary to modify the platform. Many people have provided valuable input for this part of the project, and we also have a professional carpenter working with us to ensure that it is done well.
If you haven’t already, you will probably soon be throwing out the Christmas tree and packing the decorations away for another year. But before we forget about Christmas for another 11 months, I thought I’d just recap 2 great community initiatives that Kingsview was involved with during Christmas. First, the Food Baskets. More than 100 families received food baskets containing enough groceries for about 2 weeks, and many also received a wrapped gift for the children & youth in their family as well. Thank you to all those that donated in some way, food donations, sorting, gift wrapping, card writing, and delivering – especially to Martin Bowen for spearheading this great effort!
A slightly less publicized event occurred on Dec. 12th. The Annual AFEY Children’s Community Christmas Party took place again at Woodbine Banquet Hall. Over 300 local children received a free brunch, face painting, grab bags, entertainment, and a Christmas present. In all about 600 people were involved. A group of young adults from Kingsview (L-R: Michelle Pinnock, Edward Moreno, Marina Vera, Jessica Dotson, Jabin Carrasco, & Jonathan Campbell) volunteered their time to provide face painting for the kids, serve brunch, and help clean up. It was a fun and rewarding time together.
Look for these 2 great service opportunities again this year!