Psalms by Sovereign Grace

I'm amazed how fast Sovereign Grace is churning out new music for the church. They've got their new Psalms project now available. You can order and listen to samples here. The album is not yet available on itunes, but can be ordered in mp3 format right from the site. I am just downloading the music now, but expect at least one or two of these songs may find their way into our set list at Parkview.

(HT: JTaylor)

The Church Speaks

On July 20th the church leadership hosted a forum with the general congregation to discuss upcoming plans for flood recovery and church expansion. Due to my departure for a seminary residency, I was unable to stay for the meeting, but wanted to share some general results from the vote that took place. Of the 191 surveyed, 166 supported the idea of us fixing the present site and expanding to another site, 11 supported the idea of fixing the present site and not expanding to another site, 13 supported the idea that we should sell our present facility (without fixing) and proceed immediately to a new site and 1 voter abstained.

The majority of the congregation directly reflected the leadership councils desire to renovate our present location and pursue off site facility expansion options for the future. There are a myriad of options before us so please join me in praying that the Lord would give vision and discernment as we continue to explore His plans for Parkview in the future.

Breaking Pornography Addiction

In a recent poll of 1,000 respondents, 50 percent of Christian men and 20 percent of Christian women were found to be addicted to pornography. This means of the 1,200 attending Parkview's weekend services, as many as 420 are struggling with some form of pornography addiction. This is a staggering statistic to contemplate.

This link leads to a new and very good article by Dr. David Powlison of the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation. In the article Powlison lays out some very practical and spiritual thoughts regarding how to overcome an addiction to pornography.

It's Quiz Time

In my hand, I am holding one of the following three items.

1. Seeds
2. Coco Puffs
3. Gall Stones

And the answer is… number three. Yesterday around 2 pm I started having a stomachache that gradually increased in pain and seemed to localize at the bottom of my right rib. About 2:30 am this morning, the pain was such that I went to the ER. By 9:00 am this morning I was in surgery having my Gall Bladder removed, which contained these two stones about 15 mm in diameter. Recovery is going well, but will keep me from lifting things for a while.

As a result of my surgery, I will be a bit delayed in communicating information regarding renovation progress and recovery plans. In the midst of this unexpected event I am praising the Lord, for His timing is perfect. Thankfully, I was not scheduled to lead worship and will have the margin in upcoming weeks to take the necessary time to recover. Thanks goes to Nile and the music and tech teams who did such an excellent job in this morning’s services. It’s such a joy knowing that I have the privilege of working with such excellent and committed people, and that things will never miss a beat in my absence. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!

Fallout from the Sexual Revolution

I am presently attending a Marriage and Family Counseling course at Covenant Seminary. Here are a few disturbing statistics we covered today in one of our class sessions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. is experiencing an epidemic of STD’s among our youth-the likes of which we have never before seen. In 1960, the U.S. contended with gonorrhea and syphilis alone. A quick injection of penicillin in the buttocks, and a patient was on his way. By 2000, we had approximately 30 STD’s. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, one in five people over 12 years old tests positive for genital herpes and in 2002, Sexually Transmitted Diseases Journal stated in an article that if we don’t dramatically change course, 39 percent of all men and 49 percent of all women in the U.S. would have genital herpes by 2025. (From “Sexualizing Our Youth” by Meg Meeker)

The problem is not just our youth, it runs deep within our culture and accentuates the brokenness sin has caused within our world. Please join me praying for our youth, that they put off sin, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Indicatives Empowering the Imperatives

A few weeks ago in the grace series I taught at Parkview, I referenced the idea of the indicatives empowering the imperatives in the transforming work of God's grace. Just in case any of you thought I was out to lunch, this morning I just stumbled across this video on the Desiring God blog, which was made in preparation for this years national Desiring God conference. In it Sinclair Ferguson, one of the greatest living theologians, explains the importance of the indicatives and imperatives.

Progress

This last week has been a busy week at 15 Foster Road. The electricians worked most of the week beginning the long process of pulling new wires, replacing panels, etc.. The south side of the facility may actually be ready for drywall crews as early as a week from Monday.

Today we had teams from Iowa and Illinois working both on site and in the Normandy neighborhood. We are so thankful for all the people coming from all over the nation to help. The following is a punch list from Dean Clermont regarding today's work progress. Below the list are some pictures taken this evening.

• Linoleum Floor in Office/Chapel Area removed - done
• Electrical and audio conduits in chapel and North section – done
• Sweep and vacuum under main stage and chapel – done
• Tile floors in atrium and bathrooms washed again – done
• Exterior AC/Vent tubes removed and doors replaced – done
• Underground conduits in foyer and chapel cleaned/drained – done
• Dumpsters filled to capacity with debris from building/driveway – done
• Two South Sandbag mounds removed & disposed – done
• Porcelain fixtures moved from driveway to inside building – done
• Reopen main/east entrance from Foster Road & gated Western drives - done

Our chapel stage completely open and ready for some new wiring.



A new chapel tech booth.



There's actually some nice tile under there.



Evidence in the kitchen that the electricians are in the house.



Atrium tile.



Our playground... all toys completely sanitized with new mulch.



A little reminder of why we do what we do.

Saturday Work List

Though tomorrow is not an official church-wide work day, numerous teams from the region will be coming in to work tomorrow from 8:30-5:00 pm. Please bring a brown-bag lunch. The following is a list of the projects we'll be addressing tomorrow (Saturday) morning:

• Cut out electrical conduits on North (Chapel) side marked by contractor. (saws all metal blade)
• Clean ceramic floors in bathrooms and atrium. (power washer)
• Clean the hillside on North (Foster Road ) of debris. (wheel barrows / trash bags)
• Remove AC Vent tubes from exterior doorways / replace doors. (basic tools, screwdrivers, etc.)
• Chapel, remove audio/low voltage conduit. Electrical to remain. (wrenches)
• Place all porcelain fixtures in atrium from driveway.
• All debris piles with the exception of scrap metal to be placed in dumpster for disposal.
• Remove remaining ceramic floor from main entryway except for rows on North and South edges. (floor scrapers, other)
  

We also may be helping with sandbag removal in the Normandy area and helping some other neighbors with basic clean-out. As always, dress for hard work and have protective gear such as work gloves.

Hold On

For those teams checking in for information regarding Saturday's project list, please check back at the end of the afternoon on Friday. I have a meeting tomorrow around lunch time where a project list will be compiled and then I'll post as soon as possible.

Quick Update

On Saturday we will not be having a church-wide work day for Parkview. We will, however, be hosting a work day for the various teams coming into help from regional churches.

Those who are coming in to work will meet at Parkview (15 Foster) in the picnic shelter at 8:30 AM for assignments either at the church facility or in the community. We do ask that teams bring their own brown-bag lunch since teams may be dispersed through out the day. I'll post project specifics by Friday.

Saturday Success

This is my last post until next Friday, as I am starting a well-needed vacation with my family. I just received word from Dean Clermont that things went very well in today’s workday at Parkview. Below I will post some of his comments as well as a few pictures Phil Gugliuzza took on Friday afternoon. Thanks to ALL of you who made today a success! From Dean Clermont’s unwavering leadership to outside crews like those from the E-Free Church in Willmar, Minnesota; we have been so blessed!

- - -

Report from Dean Clermont, our chairman of the deacons…

What and awesome day. We completed all but two items on our punch list for today… The crew from Willmar, MN were awesome. They had most items done from our punch list before we even started today.

• Window cleaning – done
• Power washing the brick exterior – done
• Treads from chapel – done
• Baptistry cleaning – done
• VBS prop removal – done
• Marked electrical conduits/removal – done
• Chapel and sanctuary sound booth framing – done
• Stairs to sanctuary stage – done
• Remaining sheetrock trim work – done
• Playground equipment washing – done
• Sand boxes dug out – done
• Sand box refill – NOT DONE – Too wet
• Linoleum floor in old kitchen removal – done
• Vacuuming of metal stud spaces – done
• Floors under chapel and sanctuary cleaning – done
• Bathroom and atrium floors washed – done – needs second going over
• Grading work – NOT DONE – very muddy – Too wet
• DOA shrub/tree removal – done

Newly Found Insurance Photos

We recently uncovered these insurance photos from within the church. Too bad our insurance reimbursable for contents is only $250,000! Oh the wonder of Photo shop! To make the photo larger you can simply left click on the image.

Saturday Work Day

Plans are being made for our Saturday workday from 8:30-5:00 pm at Parkview. Below is a list of some of the projects we’ll be performing. There is presently a team from the Evangelical Free Church in Willmar, Minnesota working at our site; consequently, some of these projects may already be completed before Saturday. Despite this, numerous jobs are being added to our list daily and there are still great needs within our community.

• Continue to clean up the trim work throughout the facility
• Vacuum the metal studs wall base throughout the facility
• Remove drywall behind furnaces – if HVAC systems have been removed by HVAC contractor
• Clean under the stage in the chapel and worship center
• Remove the studs and OSB board on that chapel stage
• Finish clean the windows
• Wash the playground equipment
• Wash the building exterior
• Remove the vinyl tile from the kitchen and some bathrooms
• Power wash the ceramic tile floors

Throughout the day we will be sending teams to various locations to the Taft and Normandy neighborhoods. Thanks to all of you who have been working so hard to serve the church and our community in this time of need.

Future Plans at Parkview

The following is a quick update that reflects and clarifies information shared in recent services. Since the flood, two teams have been formed to see through our renovation process and manage our over all facility vision for the future.

The Renovation Management Team has been coordinating church and neighborhood clean up projects and recently approved construction bids for the 15 Foster renovation. Mark Mysnyk, our chairman of the elders, will be releasing specific financial information about the renovation in the near future. Total renovation costs will surpass insurance coverage and will therefore require congregational approval.

The Facility Task Force has been giving overall leadership in assessing our present facility situation and developing an overall vision for the future. This involves investigating future facility expansion at alternative sites. As options formulate, we will be planning meetings where congregation members can ask questions and provide feedback regarding future plans.

Once the overall vision is settled, the Building Committee will resume its former role of working with architects to develop and implement a master plan.

There are countless decisions to be made in the future, so your prayers and input are needed. Please don’t hesitate to pull aside an Elder and share your thoughts. As previously noted, meetings will be scheduled in the near future to allow Q&A at a larger scale. Until then, I will do my best to provide weekly updates here on the blog.

Work Day Results In Bagless Future

Last Saturday Parkview, along with teams from Rockford, IL, Waukee, IA, Clinton, IA and New Orleans, LA worked hard to do more clean-up in our facility, remove the sandbags, and serve several homeowners in Iowa City affected by flooding. It was a wonderfully productive time that pushed so many along in their recovery efforts.

Next Saturday we'll be meeting again to work from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Thanks to all who have been working so hard to help us through this difficult time.







Here's a few pics of the accumulating pile of sandbags in our parking lot.





Here is a picture of the team from Waukee out serving in the neighborhoods.

Mold Killers

Our demolition teams did such a fantastic job getting our facility opened and dried out that we have seen virtually no mold or rotting in any of the timbers. Despite this, on Friday we did have a small team go through and chemically treat all the lumber to prevent any risk of future mold growth. Here's a few pics from Friday morning.

Saturday July 5 Workday

Parkview’s next workday is this Saturday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Lunch will be provided. The scope of our projects this Saturday will include:

• Removing sandbags from around the perimeter of the building: work gloves
• Scrubbing block walls in gym and restrooms: scrubbers, soap, buckets, shop vac, squeegees and power washers (most of these materials will be provided)
• Drywall trim crews cleaning up drywall demolition: utility blade, tape measure, screw gun, flat bar and step stool
• Rebuild the downspouts: ladder, screwgun, misc bits and utility blade
• Playground clean-up: rakes, power washer, ratchet tools, etc.
• We may be sending out a few teams to help with general demolition in a few local residences which will require gloves, masks, flat bars, hammer, etc.

Please come dressed and ready for physical labor. The building is very clean, so masks should be used for some tasks but are not necessary for all. We do have some masks and tools on hand, but it wouldn’t hurt to bring your own tools and ladders if you have some at your disposal. Also, a few extra generators may come in handy. Be sure to label anything you bring. See you Saturday!

Below is a picture emailed to me on Friday that gives a sky view of the church facility during peak flood stage. Thankfully things are much dryer now!