Consistently Rush Creek Bible Church has been accused of being a welcoming church. It is clearly a shared value within our church family. Visitors frequently state that their first impression inside the church building is one of feeling welcomed by our Rush Creek Family.
Now with the fresh new parking lot from the moment someone enters the campus, it is a warm and welcoming experience. When entering the main entrances you may have also noticed some additional changes that make a big visual difference. Whether driving through the parking lot, entering the doors, or meeting the people inside, we are striving to live up to the accusation of “welcoming.”
Driving Ministry Forward
A couple days after our parking lot was complete, however, our Explore college and career adults struggled to drive into our parking lot. After a weekend trip to West Virginia, the transmission gave way on our 2014 15-passenger van. The timing was not ideal, nor was it a real surprise. Our Welcome Home! Campaign allocated $25,000 toward transportation needs precisely because we anticipated the need for repairs and even replacement of ministry vehicles over the next couple years.
There are seven remaining “projects” in our capital campaign. The wonderful news is that most of the remaining projects, while important, are not urgent. That was true…. until the van broke down.
We get a lot of life and a lot of ministry use out of our vehicles. On average, our van gets used 15 times each month on average for five ministries—to transport roughly 40 students each week. Our sister churches—including Grace Bible Fellowship, Celebration Bible Church, and Frontline Bible Church rely on our van for transportation needs that exceed their own capacity.
On average our bus was used once each week this year for our Drop Zone ministry and 5 times a month for special events—averaging 60 students per week.
The bus was very used when we got it 10 years ago. We have nursed it along. While it is safe for transport, it is not advisable for highway travel or distances beyond 50 or 60 miles.Our game plan is to retire the bus soon…but not replace it. One limitation of a bus is the certification
needed to drive, which is a hurdle to having an ample list of drivers.
As we retire the bus our goal is to have a “fleet” of vans. Practically speaking our plan is to fix the van (around a $6,500 expenditure), and then also acquire a “new to us,” low-mileage 12 or 15 passenger van by the end of the year. Ideally we would acquire a third multi-seat van within the next twelve months beyond that.
We have many upcoming needs on the calendar for a van including: pickup of mission teams, family outings, youth events, a discipleship trip and a staff development retreat – all before September.
Transportation is a huge need in ministry. If you would like to help “drive” ministry quite literally, please consider a cash, check or pushpay gift designated “transportation” as we strive to continue excelling in stewardship in our Welcome Home! Campaign
Give online here.
