for beth

A few weeks ago, some of the members of the church council did a walk around of the physical church to make a list of priorities for repair. Of course, Central is an old building and maybe not in the best of repair, however during the tour it became clear to me that our physical space is a hot mess! I could not even focus on where to start first. Thank goodness that some on the council are skilled in this area, so we will be fine, but it reinforced for me the difference between us and most churches in how we invest our time and resources. We invest in people, not property. Our money goes to resources and events and activities that support love and care and dignity for all those that attend and worship. Our building may need much work, but we have all the right investment priorities!
The person at the center of our investment priorities, the person that it affects the most, the one that must cope or adjust or work around something broken or missing is Beth, our Administrator. In all that she must do to keep the work of Central on track, Beth is also the person that is most likely to put her investment of time and care into people. She is the model for all of us to follow of how investing in another person pays the greatest of dividends.
 After Church on Sunday, we celebrated Beth, much to her surprise. As the floor was opened to people in the church audience to offer words of gratitude, we heard beautiful words of people that felt valued, over, and over in their encounters, people who felt like they were an asset, not a problem, even in their worst hour.
 Thank you, Beth for being our model.