Day 78 - Three 120 Day Dry Erase Planners (Give)

Years ago I bought these planners so that I could hang them on my wall in the youth ministry office and have space to plan out an entire year in advance.  I thought it would help if I had the dates in front of me, since most times when I write dates down in a traditional calendar, events tend to sneak up on me.  I don't flip the page until the month ends and then ... Yikes! ... there's some big event early in the next month which hasn't been planned yet!

I got them in 2000 when I first started as youth pastor of First United Methodist Church of Pensacola, Florida.  The best part was these calendars had a slick surface for dry erase markers so they could be used and reused.  When I pulled them out of the garage, they still had writing on them.  The most recent date is April 2002!  Haven't been used since.

November 18 of 2001 has the words "Grand Opening" written in big capital letters...

It was the Grand Opening of a million dollar youth ministry center.  Literally ... a million dollars.  Just before Melissa and I arrived in town, the church had purchased an old funeral home across the street for $300,000.  It was going to get fresh paint and new carpet, but instead got sucked into a capital campaign drive which resulted in $700,000 worth of renovations!

We went out of our way to make it an attractive, interesting place for teens - a place they'd want to visit often - a place they'd be excited to bring their friends.  There was a sanctuary with video and sound equipment.  The "One Way Cafe" sported kitchen facilities, a fountain soda dispenser, a garage theme throughout and full-fledged pinball games rigged to play for free.  Upstairs there were classrooms - each one with its own unique theme.  Pool tables.  Ping pong tables.  Video games.  Murals.  Even an outdoor deck with picnic tables.


The Grand Opening was a huge success.  We were packed out with church kids and their friends. 

Which caused a few of our ministry team adults to freak out.

When the last kid was out the door that night, some of the adults wanted to meet to discuss new rules we might consider ...

... to limit the number of teens...

... and to protect the building.

Isn't that the way it is with THINGS?

(I don't want to leave the impression that the church as a whole felt this way ... they had willingly invested a million dollars in an effort to reach out to the teens of Pensacola.  I am only pointing out the temptation to protect what's ours - even when it's a church building and even when doing so puts doing God's will in jeopardy.  I know a lot of great ministry has undoubtedly taken place in that building over the last decade and I pray that it continues for many more years to come.)



I left the calendars in the teachers' lounge at school with the word "Free" on a post-it note.  If they haven't moved by next week, I'll offer them to my students.