Giving God Glory for Answered Prayer

At our church, we often talk about the power of prayer and the importance of seeking God's guidance in all our endeavors. Recently, we experienced a remarkable answer to prayer that showcases not only God’s guidance and resources, but also the teamwork and generosity of God’s people.

Pastor Hilling, prompted by the Holy Spirit, organized a research committee on November 10 to look at options to upgrade the uncomfortable seating that was at least 55 years old.  This Sanctuary Revitalization Committee, consisting of Janel, Bev, Michelle, and Sandy, had been diligently working to research options for new carpet and pews for our church. Part of this research took them to Sauder Church Furniture to explore various seating options.  They brought back samples to match colors to best fit our sanctuary. The committee discovered that purchasing new pews would cost around $39,000, a price too steep for our budget.  However, the exercise did provide some direction in the type of pews that we should look for, and it would help direct our praying for God to provide what we needed.

The Committee was preparing to present their findings to the church board later this month. However, before we had a chance to have that meeting, something exciting happened!

Janel, prompted by the Holy Spirit to check Facebook Marketplace last Sunday evening, found 20 pews of solid medium oak with firm padding on the seat and back for $500 each. They were posted by a Nazarene church that was closing its doors. Janel immediately followed up with Pastor Hilling.

Janel says she “had pretty much decided we weren't going to find anything on Facebook Marketplace.” No pews had shown up in her feed in a while. She indicated, “I was home, maybe feeling a little sorry for myself. I have not been feeling well for months.”  But when she searched again for church pews, the first ones to show up seemed to be just what we were looking for!  Janel adds, “There was the right number of them, right length, and a good color. God knows when we need a little boost to our faith."

Pastor Hilling, prompted by the Holy Spirit, began communicating with the Committee, the Church Board, and the person who posted the pews for sale.  In his communication with the gentleman who posted the pews, it was asked if he would accept a lower price for purchasing all of the pews. Perhaps God softened the gentleman's heart, as he sold them for half the original asking price!

The catch? It was a first-come, first-serve deal. Each of the church board members was contacted and, on short notice, unanimously agreed to give the Committee the approval to pursue the purchase of these pews.

In an inspiring display of generosity, some donors, prompted by the Holy Spirit, stepped forward to cover the cost of the pews and the expense of transporting them back to Concord. This act of kindness enabled us to seize this opportunity without financial strain to the church.

Sandy, prompted by the Holy Spirit, started organizing the 2.5-hour trip to Marion, Indiana, to inspect, purchase and bring back the pews. Several people from the committee were able to rearrange their schedules during a holiday week and make the trip. Reflecting on the process, Sandy wrote, “As I was driving to an unknown destination to meet an unknown group of people, I felt comfortable and safe knowing the people I was traveling with were with me for a common goal. What we had in common other than our faith was a desire to improve our church to glorify God!”  

Dave and Michelle, prompted by the Holy Spirit, traveled to Marion, with Dave driving back a U-Haul truck to transfer the 20 purchased pews back to Concord over two days because they all wouldn’t fit in one trip!

Bev and Joyce, prompted by the Holy Spirit, reached out to their nephew for help in unloading the pews into the Family Life Center.  He responded by gathering some of his friends and unloaded the pews.  Sandy commented, “I felt it all fell into place according to God's will. I felt His hand on us as the roads became snowy, as young men jumped into action to unload a truck full of heavy furniture while the older generation watched. I feel blessed to have a bigger group of people to add to my friend list!! In the end, it was completed seamlessly because God was there holding our hands! Our church is truly a blessing!”

The people listed above were not only prompted by God, but they trusted Him and then obeyed Him. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Bev summed up this entire process by saying her first and last thought about the pews was, “Wow, they are wonderful!  Thank you Lord, for providing them to us.”

God Takes Care of the Details

• God provided the opportunity in our schedules for us to be available to go to Marion, INfirst thing Monday morning.
• God provided the last 26-foot U-Haul truck, and it was held until we arrived.
• God provided safety on the roads.
• God provided three men who worked for the seller to be available to load the pewin the U-Haul truck.
• God provided four high schoolers to unload the pews when we returned to Concord.
• God provided a sense of unity and fellowship among the members of the committeethroughout this process.
• God provided solidly built pews that are in great condition with the end rails that the Committee liked.  The color was not exactly what was expected from the photos, but there was unity and agreement that the positives far outweighed that fact.

God is the great orchestrator! "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow!"

This experience has been a powerful reminder of what can be accomplished when we come together in faith, prayer, and action. The teamwork, generosity, volunteerism, and flexibility displayed by our church members are truly commendable. We give God all the glory for this answered prayer and look forward to seeing how He continues to work in our church.

NOTE:  New pictures will be added when the old pews are removed and the new ones installed.