Monday, November 23, 2009

The Amphitheater

We hope that next year's work project will be to begin building an amphitheater on the mission grounds. This has been a dream on Barry and Shelly's wish list for a while and Fred really has it on his heart to see it begin next summer. I don't have a good picture of it, but hopefully you were at church yesterday and saw the pics - they are still on display in the narthex. There is a huge "hole" that has eroded into the ground next to the church. It has been there for years and is not only an eyesore but it is also a safety hazard when the kids come to VBS.

BUT ...

it like a lot of things we consider a problem, it has some great possibilities....

One end of the "hole" sits pretty much even with the ground making it a perfect shape for an amphitheater. If we can excavate some of the remaining dirt and rock, pour a cement floor and lay in some rail road ties for seating this "problem" can become a huge asset. It would serve so many purposes .... it could be a GREAT place to have all of the kids gather for music or lessons for VBS. As it stands the sanctuary is really not large enough to hold all of the kids when they are there. It could also be used by the community of Allen for any number of events, thus giving the church there another way to reach out to the community. We hope to build it in such a way that it will last a long time and other things might even be able to be added on to it in the future (think roof, maybe even a new sanctuary someday).

Fred tells me it will take about $4500 to get it started this year. This year we will not be able to get the seating in but we hope to get the excavating done and pour the cement flooring. I think the plan is also to run some electrical line so that electricity will be available out there too.

We are excited about the possibilities for this! I'm adding a thermometer to show how we are doing with the fundraising for the project. Check back here to the blog from time to time to read updates and follow what's going on!


fundraising ideas


*Thanks to all who bought the card shop goodies yesterday. We made our first $130 from it. The items will still be available as long as they last.