one year. //

I walked in for the first time on a cold, bitter, late-afternoon in December. the lights were on, shining through the few front windows and the skylight in the sanctuary.

inside, the chairs had been set out all in rows facing the front. a few people were sitting near the front, commenting on the placement of the chancel and the communion table and the chairs for the pastors. I put my coat down on one of the chairs, and smiled excitedly at the other musicians. this was it.

we had spent the last year in construction and preparation and legal negotiations. we painted and put up walls and built the choir loft. we spent hours turning an old motorcycle showroom into a church. and periodically, we gathered in the empty, unfinished sanctuary and sang hymns. and we couldn't wait for what this place was going to become.

and here I was, the night before our first worship in our building. this place was all our own--the thing we had prayed for and waited for and worked for. there was the baby grand piano in the corner, shiny and beautiful and waiting for someone to play it. I had wheedled my way into being the first Trinity pianist to get to play in the new building, and now I sat down and played for the first time, and the sound resonated through the space.

being there felt amazing and too good to be true and completely bizarre all at once. I couldn't believe that we were really here: that everything had come together, and that the next morning, the church family would be here, rejoicing and singing and passing joyous and thankful and excited peace. as I sat behind the piano, I looked out at the sanctuary, and I tried to imagine what it would be like to worship here Sunday after Sunday, to have this place become truly ours, to have a real church after so many years.

it has been better than I ever could have imagined. people talk about a house becoming a home, when you fill it with the people you love, and that has been a million times more true with our church. as this year has gone by, it's gone from being "the building" to church. it's the place we worship, and sing and fellowship. it's the place we potluck, and hold babies and pray together. in this place, we've been through death and marriage and baptism, together as a single unit. and it's only been a year.

when I think about what we've been blessed with, I'm so thankful. I could never have imagined that a building other than my own home could become so dear to my heart, but this one has. this past year has been an incredible gift, and I can't wait for the years to come, as our church becomes even beautiful and prosperous and rich with memories.

as in all things, soli deo gloria.