ReadyToMoveIn“I will declare your name to my brothers;
  in the presence of the congregation I
  will sing your praises.”
  ~Hebrews 2:12

We’re almost there. On August 17, in just 3-1/2 more weeks, the Legacy Church of Christ will begin meeting as one congregation of God’s people instead of two. For the first time in over 18 years we’ll be together on the Lord’s Day, celebrating his resurrection, communing with the entire family, witnessing baptisms, blessing babies, sending off mission teams, welcoming new members, praising and praying and confessing and encouraging all of each other all at the same time. Together.

Our new worship center is almost complete. The carpet and tile are all installed. The pews are all stacked in the concourse waiting to be placed. It all seems to be just details now.

Here’s the front. As always, click on the pic to get the full size.

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Here’s the back.

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There’s a full slate of events and activities planned for that weekend of August 17. We’re doing our best to coordinate the installation of the massive stainless steel cross on the outside of the stumple with the beginning of our church’s reading of the Bible. The plan is for our entire church family—all of us, individually, as families, as Small Groups, men, women, and children—to sign up for 15 and 30 minutes shifts as we read the Bible from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21. The reading will be done from the pulpit, over the microphone, and carried on our speaker system throughout the new worship center and every nook and cranny of this entire campus. It’ll take about 75 hours. It’ll begin at about 7:00 am Thursday August 14, hopefully following a cross ceremony outside, and conclude right at 10:00 Sunday morning as we gather to assemble for the first time in our new building.

FrontCloseUpA huge church-wide fellowship dinner will follow that initial assembly. Then we’re inviting all the Churches of Christ in Tarrant County to join us at 2:00 for a singing and time of worship together. We feel very strongly that our assembly manifests the unity of the Body of Christ as a community of faith dedicated to the glory of God and his Kingdom. And what better way to communicate that than to come together with all our brothers and sisters to lift our voices and our hearts to our God and to encourage each other that afternoon? Finally, we’ll host an open house at 3:00 so folks can tour the new parts of our campus, including the worship center, the youth and benevolence center, and the new classrooms upstairs.

Our Christian assemblies, in many ways, represent the visible presence of Jesus to our world. Our gatherings declare his presence and proclaim his purpose. And our assemblies serve to equip his disciples for the mission of our God.

Beginning August 17, the Legacy Church of Christ will share the sacred assembly together. And I can’t wait.

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I’m honored to be speaking tonight to our brothers and sisters at the College Hill Church of Christ, just a couple of miles west of here. My grandparents are charter members of that congregation which was established in the early ’60s, my grandfather a charter elder there. It’s where my mom worshiped as a teenager. Growing up, it’s where we worshiped as a family when we came to Fort Worth to visit my mom’s side. My grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary there. My great-grandmother celebrated her 80th birthday there. The funerals of my granddad, two great-grandmothers, and my Uncle Asa were held there. As little kids, my sisters and I ran circles around the auditorium there while our grandmother did her work for Thursday School. College Hill holds a lot of fond memories for me. And it’ll be very special to be with them this evening.

Peace,

Allan