Shouts and weeping over a foundation?  In the passage above, the Israelites who have been able to return from exile to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple gather to rejoice and give God praise at the completion of the foundation of the temple.  It would be two more decades before the temple was completed, two more decades before worship could be properly restored to the house of the Lord.  But the completion of the foundation meant much more than just a slab on which to build a house of worship, it meant the promise of God's favor, it meant hope.  

A huge relocation milestone quietly passed this week as the period for a formal appeal of our application approved by the Planning Board in June came to a close.  What that means is that our project can now progress unfettered by any litigation.  I think for anyone who attended the lengthy and contentious Planning Board meetings (many thanks again to all of those who attended those long and difficult meetings), the fact that we have come out the other side of this not only with approval, but with no appeal is nothing short of a miracle. 

And indeed it was a miracle.  Despite a down economy, public friction, and all of the hustle and bustle of ministry at WRC, God continues to move us forward toward relocation to a facility that can move forward his ministry at Westerly in his good timing. I see the closure of this period as the proverbial foundation that has been laid for the new church and we ought not let it pass without stopping and praising God for his favor and great mercy.  There is still much work to be done (hopefully not two decade's worth!), but let us stop and praise God today for his great faithfulness to us. 

May his kingdom come!

Pastor John