GBCA to ABC

A few weeks back I mentioned that we'd had our first worship service in our new church building, and then I promptly forgot about the blog. So now, I'm back by popular demand (thanks for the kick in the pants, Adela!), to expound on that.

There's a long story in the background, but suffice it to say, we are no longer meeting as Grace Baptist Church of Arlington. We, the members of GBCA, have joined Arlington Baptist Church. Arlington Baptist has been a gospel witness in Arlington, Virginia, for more than eighty years. Their congregation had grown smaller in recent years and most members were in their later years of life. With no pastor and a large building which was in need of many repairs, they were looking to turn the building over to a congregation capable of restoring it. 

Instead of purchasing the building or even receiving the building at no cost, GBCA elected to join ABC. So we are now meeting and worshiping together with the members of ABC who have been serving there for many years. 

As I mentioned, the building needs lots of work. Mold removal, asbestos removal, HVAC repairs, steeple repair, etc. It will take months--even years--to complete all of it. It's a large building with a beautiful sanctuary, lots of classrooms, lots of pianos (seriously, there are probably ten or so), and office space. The kitchen is large, and there is a fellowship hall as well. Plenty of work to do all around, but the structure of the building is good. And it's wonderful to have room to spread out a bit. We've taken a break from Sunday School for the remainder of the summer in order to repair and prepare rooms for classes, but it's so exciting to look forward to the kids having a real meeting space that won't require set-up/tear-down every Sunday.

For five years, we met in rented space and prayed for a larger, permanent space for our church. God has answered our prayers! He's proven His faithfulness to us over and over again in small things and big. Praise God with us for His kindness in giving us a new, old meeting space and the godly saints with whom we join in serving Him at Arlington Baptist Church.