The McKnight Group is working on a church building for Garfield Memorial United Methodist Church in Pepper Pike, Ohio. We do projects like this all the time – and each one is different. In this case, the church decided they wanted to take the opportunity to more closely link the building project with their worship life, so they created a four-part worship series called God’s Building Project.
Church Building Then and Now
Garfield Memorial Church grounded their worship series in God’s rebuilding efforts in Jerusalem following the Babylonian exile. This story is found in the Biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah. While many of the materials and methods used for building in Jerusalem 2500 years ago are very different from those used today, there are a lot of similarities, too. In addition to the use of wood and stone, one thing that ties together church building projects of any age is the faith of the people who are doing the work.
Building a Church with Faith
Garfield Memorial Church decided that they wanted to help the members of their congregation make a connection with the people who come to work on their church building project during the week, many of whom are also Christians. Mike O’Dell is our Superintendent for the Garfield Memorial Church building project, and he agreed to be interviewed for a video sermon opener for each week of the God’s Building Project worship series.
Building a Strong Foundation
In one of the videos, he talks about the importance of a strong foundation, and going the extra mile to make sure that the foundation is wide, deep and strong enough to support all the ministries that take place above it. In another video he shares his own experience of accepting the Lord, and how it has transformed his life. In these videos, people also see many construction workers in action, making Garfield Memorial Church’s building project a reality while they hear Mike share his hopeful prayers for the future of the church.
Just like Mike, everyone here at The McKnight Group takes great pride in our work. We build more than just buildings. We create relationships, build partnerships, and together we are helping to grow the kingdom of God.
We invite you to share these inspiring videos with others, and to sign up for our free i3 webinar series, where you can learn more about what we’re doing, why we do it, and how we can help your church create your special version of God’s worldwide building project.