I have been out to the new building we have been checking out three times in the last four days. The last tow times I have taken tape measures and last night I took a couple of guys from our team and we have been trying to figure out a way to make the building work for us. We've been measuring and taping off where we'd put classrooms, the stage, and chairs. The hard part about this decision is that every way we have tried it's really borderline as to us actually being able to make it work and even if we can make it work would it work well enough to allow us to grow in a healthy manner attracting new people.
The more I look at this the more I believe the answer is no. The space is just too small. It would work well for the amount of people that we currently had but wouldn't allow for us to grow beyond five or six new families.
There are some other issues that need to be considered as well. Going to this location would have been a huge change in our outreach. As of now we'd been targeting people in the Holland Maumee, and South Toledo areas. Those days would have been over and we'd have had to start reaching out to Swanton and Monclova townships. That's not a bad thing, but no one from our core group lives out that way so we are asking a group of people from one community to minister to a group of people in another community. It can be done, but at times there can be a mismatch.
It would have also been a lot to ask people to drive out there more than once a week for church functions like band practice, small groups, and youth group.
At the end of the day on this one we have to look at the evidence and be confident knowing that as God closes one door he begins the process of opening another one. For now we are going to learn to be content with the YMCA and we are thankful that we have a great temporary home for holding our worship services until God provides the next location.
