A Cool Church

I would love to meet the guy who invented air conditioning. I bet he’s pretty cool. 

I was ten years old when our family got air conditioning for the first time. We also got a clothes dryer for the first time that summer, and shag carpet too, so I was pretty sure we had graduated into "uppity." I think back now and I wonder how we survived before that during those hot, muggy Alabama summers, and then I remember that most of human history people have made it just fine without air conditioning. In fact, we will be going back to Belize for our mission trip next week and most of the folks we will be working with have never had air conditioning a single day of their lives.

All that was swirling around in my mind on Sunday when we realized that our worship center was heating up instead of cooling down that morning. We had a great fellowship breakfast together, in Building C, and were getting ready to move across the parking lot to Building B for worship, only to discover that two of our three air conditioning units were not cooling. We weren't sure if it was the lightning storm from the night before, or just age of the units coupled with the heat of the summer, but they were down for the count and there was no fixing them at that point.

For those who were not around, Sunday was a very hot July day in Calera--"hotter than the 4th of July," literally--and temperatures reached 90 degrees inside our worship center that morning. With a good crowd joined together for our combined worship service, and everyone breathing and putting off their own BTU's of heat, it got very toasty in there in a hurry. And I can attest, it was even toastier on the stage under the bright lights. Those who wore their sweaters expecting to feel the cold of refrigerated air blowing on them, soon had shed those outer layers, and were now using their sermon sheets to fan themselves.

We did get an inordinate number of people who were ready to volunteer to work in the nursery or with the children on Sunday. I am sure it was a coincidence that the areas of our campus where they were willing to serve had air conditioning that worked just fine. Fortunately, we got their names down and we'll be in contact with them for future dates!

I mentioned this on Sunday morning, but the one thing that stood out to me on a difficult day--and this is so indicative of our Shelby Crossings church family--was that I heard no complaining. There were plenty of bad jokes, and suggestions that we maybe try to keep things short, but no one whined about the oppressive heat. There was a can-do attitude, even as uncomfortable as it was...and I think the Lord was honored through that attitude.

The good news is, we WILL have air conditioning this Sunday--Lord willing, of course. One of our units we were able to get repaired--for now--but the other is being replaced, which should provide us more efficient cooling for many years to come. So things should be back to "normal" this week, with our regular schedule of two morning services, in a cool building.

I have to say, I am grateful that we live in a modern age with the miracle of air conditioning to provide us comfort as we worship the Lord. But I am also grateful for a church family that is faithful and committed to worship Him together, even in challenging environments, without complaints. It's great to be a part of such a "cool" church!

I am praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

--Pastor Ken