This past week I was running the numbers of the budget and writing our quarterly report to the agency which funds our grant for Sellwood. I was really discouraged. We were on such a great path towards sustainability. Our building costs were covered by all of our building users who each pay a small fee for utilities, insurance, cleaning, & supplies. You would not believe how much toilet paper we go through each week! With the building closed we aren’t collecting those fees, and while some of our costs are down, there are some fixed costs like insurance we still need to pay. We also were working to create a stable revenue stream for the church with Steele Street School, a low cost summer day camp we hope to expand to offer affordable year round options for child care for children ages 0-12. This year we have to cancel the summer session and with the current health and safety rules around child care the future of Steele Street School is uncertain.
It feels like over the past 3 years at the Parish we had done faithful work and slowly built towards a model that meant the facility was take care of and we could begin to live out God’s dream for this neighborhood. All of that has changed and so in the quarterly report I wrote that we currently have nothing in the works towards sustainability once the grant runs out in 2 years.
It’s frustrating and a bit embarrassing three years in to be back at square one. And yet time and time again I find that this is where God meets me. When the plans have failed. When the rug has been pulled out. When the world seems to have shifted. Once again in my worry and fear of what can I do God reminded me that it’s not about me, it’s about listening faithfully and being open to holy opportunities.
So the day after I finished my quarterly report, as I’m swinging in our backyard hammock, complaining to my husband about all of this stuff he reminds me of his idea to tear down our distressed garage and build an ADU on the property. This would allow us to offer low cost housing and would be a stable revenue stream for the Parish. All of a sudden this idea that had been on the back burner because we had so much work to do with Steele Street School is viable. So this week I’ve been talking to construction companies and our Parish leadership. We’ve been praying and thinking about what this all could mean for us and for our ministry in the neighborhood.
Who knows what will end up working out, but I feel like this is a lesson I never learn. No matter how many times this has happened in my life and my ministry I am always surprised by the ways God shows up when everything feels like it is falling apart. God shows another way, sparks another idea, opens another door. So in these difficult days when the world feels chaotic and our lives are changing so much I invite you to look for the new path, listening for the holy invitation, and trust that God is with you calling you into new life.
-Eilidh
Recent Comments