You know very well the expression “Change is good.” This year at the Chapel, God has given our leadership a new vision for some areas of the ministry. But know that our mission will stay the same.
As you know, God has laid it on our hearts to relocate the church fellowship out of the deep south end of Ocean City to four and a half miles away in Marmora. We have prayed long and hard through this. It was not an easy task. We labored over this vision, seeking God and asking Him to guide and show us His will in this. We laid before Him the vision of our Fellowship, to have a facility we could better use in carrying out the Great Commission. We are encouraged to have a mission field for those we rub shoulders with daily and those in the community around us. As we earn the right to be heard by them, we will have the opportunity to invite them to come to our Fellowship. We have already seen God moving, bringing more families to Chapel By The Sea. We need more classrooms, a sizable nursery, a gymnasium/community room, ballfields, and our dream of having a Christian School.
After developing/sharing the vision with the Congregation, we prayed together, then voted on “moving out of Ocean City and obtaining property in the Marmora / Upper Township area.” With great approval and a majority, the vote was to proceed forward with a move. After eight months of seeking the Lord on this vision and asking Him to open doors or close them, He has provided property in Marmora. This property has eight and a half acres of land, with the front on Route 9 and the back going through to Stagecoach Road. We will have access from both roads to enter the property. We have contracts on both the church property and the land in Marmora.
I know there will be a few that will not be happy with the Chapel leaving the island. (Know, I love the Chapel, too). I want to encourage you not to let the evil one discourage you to the point that you will not follow your Church family four and a half miles over the 34th Street Bridge. We are a Family, and if that is true for you, our greatest prayer is that you will come with us. For some people, I know it has been very convenient to be within walking distance of the church. Our deepest, heartfelt prayer is that we will not allow the “spirit of convenience” to influence our thoughts and that we refuse to take the four-and-a-half mile drive to continue being a part of the Chapel By The Sea Family. It would be the same distance if you drove from 55th Street down to 5th Street in Ocean City. (Something to think about.)
コメント