Thank God for the building and grounds committee
The ramshackle bunch of volunteers and worship-goers who make up the church.
On March 13th, I arrived at my office to find all of my filing cabinet drawers ajar and papers scattered on the floor. The safe behind my chair was busted open with a lock cutter. “My office looks like a crime scene,” I exclaimed to my only in-person co-worker, Pastor Joel Ringma.
“Because it is,” he deadpanned.
To be clear, Christian Courier wasn’t the target of the break-in. CC doesn’t have a physical office space; most of us work from home. I do some of my CC work (mostly pestering writers and wrangling the website) from my office at the Terrace Christian Reformed Church (CRC), where I have worked part-time for the past five years as the Communications Coordinator.
On the night of March 12, 2025, someone had allegedly wandered in during a worship team practice and stealthily stolen Pastor Joel’s laptop, two trumpets and a bit of cash. (Noticing that the thief had rifled through Pastor Joel’s filing cabinet of sermons, the investigating police officer quipped, “Hope they did some reading while in there.”)
It was a disappointing haul, I’m sure, and very inconvenient for Pastor Joel, who was about to start his sabbatical that weekend. There were at least five more local churches broken into that same evening in all corners of town. A bafflingly specific crime.
For me, the most memorable part of the break-in was the second day, when, having heard the news, not one, not two, but three members of the building and ground committee showed up (seemingly without prior coordination) armed with tool boxes and electric drills. Each retiree had cleared their schedule and was ready to tighten up security.
I described the scene to Pastor Pete VanderBeek, who is covering Pastor Joel’s sabbatical. As a specialized Transitional Minister who has served over a dozen CRCs, Pete seemed unsurprised. He described the typical building and grounds committee members as “people of action” – rather than people of long meetings and discussions. Thank God for the building and grounds committee.
View from my desk
Last month, I emptied my desk at the church and handed my software passwords over to a new communications coordinator. I don’t have a backdoor view on church life anymore, and I already miss it. Not the part where I show up to worship with half of my brain still at work, but I do miss seeing church folks drop by during the week to do the things that make church run.
Like Yvonne, who drops by every Thursday to water the house plants (and sing to them!). Joe, who faithfully picks up his church mail and says ‘hi.’ Becky and Claire, who mystically turn Sunday School bulletin boards into seasonal masterpieces while simultaneously prying scissors out of their toddlers’ hands. Rolf, who fixes things before anyone knows they are broken. Darlene, who makes coffee and fills the fridge without being asked. Kaylyn and Logan, who bring after-school energy to their janitorial work (and provide a little mid-afternoon entertainment for me!). Maria, who writes the cheques. Estelle, who decluttered the attic. There are at least 25 more people I could mention here by name, but you get the point. I’m sure your church has Yvonnes and Joes, Beckys and Claires, Kaylyns and Logans too.
Take a turn
A couple of months ago, I mentioned this job change to Neil and Virginia Lettinga, former university chaplains who served for a time as a specialized ministry team in the CRC. They understood why I was excited to have more time for CC work after finishing my church job, but they also acknowledged how valuable it is to spend some time working for a church in an administrative role.
“It’s the sort of thing that church members should take turns doing,” said Virginia. She pointed out how church administrators get to know the name of each church member and how to best communicate with every demographic.
It’s true. It’s the first time I’ve known the names of almost everyone I worship with, and after five years of doing this work, I feel like I really know my church.
Neil pointed out that it wouldn’t be practical to have everyone take a turn as church administrator. Do we really want him putting together event announcements and bulletins? We laughed. True. I’m glad I don’t have to do a mandatory stint on the building and grounds committee either. (I once built a treehouse using skipping ropes and boards because I was too nervous to use a hammer and nails.)
Maybe not every member needs to take a turn as a church administrator, but sometimes I wish more people could actually see the hands and feet that put it all together.
They’d see that we’re really a ramshackle bunch, the church. We’re just a group of people with a calling and a shared faith. We volunteer to do things of the utmost importance, like managing the finances and securing the doors. Our council members aren’t paid to make visits. They’re not reimbursed for their gas when they run to the grocery store quickly to pick up the communion bread.
We’re just trying our best to use our God-given skills to bless each other and do his will. Yes, our differences will get in the way from time to time. But if you sat at a desk in a church every week and watched people come in and out with buckets and boxes, tools and toddlers, you’d notice something: We need each other – every one of us.
