Ever notice the cross hanging on the wall of our church's narthex? It's not there for decoration... there's a story behind it. It's a reminder of how God has guided our church through history; from its inception, through the days of the Pitman Camp Meeting, the "glory days" of the 1950's when 200 kids filled the junior choir loft, through the fire in 2003, the construction of our current building, through the present. And- into the future.
On December 1, 2003, fire destroyed our building on the corner of Holly and Broadway Aves. This site had been the home of our church since July 1896 (the church was founded 11 years earlier, in 1885, but met in several other locations during those initial years). The cross was dedicated in honor of former pastor Rev. William Reasner and was installed on the steeple in 1997. When the fire struck, the sanctuary was gutted, but the cross survived. It was later removed from the steeple by firefighters.
Broadway & Holly
After the fire, we entered a period of "Tabernacling". Just as Moses led the Hebrews through the wilderness after the Exodus, God led us through our period where we had no home building. At first, we met at the Pitman Middle School. We then rented a downtown storefront and converted it into a sanctuary and classrooms (the "Worship & Education Center").
Throughout this period, the cross remained with us. Just as a pillar of flame symbolized God's presence among the Hebrews during the exodus, the cross reminded us of God's guidance through our own "wilderness".
Middle School (June 2004)
"WE Center" (2004)
On December 4, 2005- almost exactly 2 years after the fire- we broke ground on our new building (located on the corner of Lambs Rd. & Broadway). It was a cold morning, but after our service in our downtown "WE Center", the congregation walked the mile along Broadway from downtown to our new location on the edge of town. Along the way we stopped at the old building site and prayed and reflected on God's guidance and on the holiness of the ground we were leaving. We dug out a shovelful of soil from that location and paraded down the street to the new building location.
The steeple cross led the progression.
Groundbreaking (12/4/05)
New building, new cross, same God.
In 2007 our new building was completed and our tabernacling days were over. The old cross is in the narthex and a new one is on the steeple.
But regardless of whether or not we have a building, we all are tabernacling through this world. The experience has taught us that the only thing that is permanent is God. God watched over us while we were in our old building. He was with us when we were in a school and converted hardware store. And he now watches over us in our new building.
But, what is our legacy? That cross hanging in the narthex also represents those who have come before us and left their witness. Even our new building won't last forever. The cross that now towers over our heads on our steeple will some day need to be replaced. But when this cross graces the narthex of yet another new building, what will our children and grandchildren be able to draw from our experiences?
As we trust in God's guidance over us, we also build a legacy that can serve as a witness for future generations.
