Sharing His Love

“Chris! Chris! Wait till you work tomorrow! You’ll get to see the busy beehive of activity going on at the church! Oh, it’s so exciting to see!”

I was so thrilled to see the North Idaho College Children’s Center staff scurrying around Krueger Hall last Monday that I just had to share my excitement with my friend and coworker, Chris. With this danged Coronavirus situation this past year, the lights have ​mostly been off in the church 

Emily Rogers

buildings. So, seeing not only most of the lights ON, but also…PEOPLE!!! And Lots of Them!...inside was so very uplifting!
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The activity started with many of our church volunteers scrambling around to clear space for the incoming folks. That entailed volunteers from Building & Grounds, Children & Families, Deacons, Session members, staff and spouses (and more!) moving furniture and materials into other rooms for our continued use or storage for a few months. Also, mission partner St. Vincent de Paul was gifted with extraneous items or items no longer used so that they could utilize them for their own outreach in Christ’s name.

Then, cleaning by Jester’s Services and staff came next. The Christians who run this business are wonderful to work with!

NIC Children’s Center staff then hauled in boxes of book shelves, student cubbies, material carts, etc. to Krueger Hall where they immediately set to work constructing them. (Oh, how I was impressed—okay, jealous!—when those young folks sat and kneeled so agilely on the carpet to scoot around on the floor assembling those pieces! Ah, I remember when….) Back when their Center was damaged by the falling trees in the windstorm and resulting flooding, professional movers quickly packed as much as they could for them and placed it into storage. (Those movers even carefully bubble-wrapped a large, well-used and full paintbrush! Oh my…)

Of course, the next step was hauling items from storage in the U-Haul step-vans and transporting it into the church. It was so incredible and heart-warming to see those empty book shelves and carts filling up with items from the emptied boxes! Yes, it’s getting close…!

And, best of all: children to enjoy our wonderful church! The staff are already tickled with the facilities they get to use: newly decorated Children’s rooms upstairs in the Hunter Building, the nursery for the littlest ones, Krueger Hall for gathering times, the huge gym, our big kitchen and refrigerators for their meals and snacks, and Lakeside Room. Oh! I almost forgot our washer and dryer! What a blessing it is to share these amazing spaces with our friends at North Idaho College!

When Chris and I complete the church activity schedules, there is always this line at the bottom of the page:
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Our Mission: LOVE1st “We love because He first loved us. 1John 4:19.”
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​It seems to me that we are able to pass along that love to our friends in need because we are so overflowing with the gift of His love first given to us. Let’s keep that gift flowing out by welcoming them in His love.
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Your friend in Christ,
 Emily