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Testimonials

A little hope goes a long way

A small country church in East Berlin, PA, Morning Hour Chapel had a vision to open its doors to a broader community. But in order to do that, their church home needed to be a little more welcoming. So, in 2005, Morning Hour embarked on a remodeling project that included the installation of air-conditioning, an elevator for handicap accessibility, an enlarged nursery facility, a new lobby area and carport, two new classrooms, a new roof, and a paved parking lot with a loan from the BIC Foundation. While each of these parts of the project may seem small, they have come to affect all aspects of congregational life in a big way.

“I know the remodeling project has created a delight for people when they come with limited mobility and realize they can get anywhere in the church, young families with small children feel more welcome, and the air-conditioning has made people feel more relaxed and comfortable,” shares Ray Mummert, head pastor of Morning Hour Chapel.

While so different, all elements of the project aid in making a statement to the community Morning Hour is a part of. “If this church does something tangible for visitors, there must be something to come back for,” explains Mummert. “We certainly have benefited from adding the classrooms,” shares Brenda Petry, director of Christian education for Morning Hour. “It has given us more flexibility in planning.”

Despite the positive results, during the early stages of planning the congregation had come up $130,000 short on their initial capital fundraiser, and may not have continued if one man in the congregation had not stepped up to the plate. “[He] really felt God wanted us to do this project and said, ‘I’ll volunteer and if others help I will work with them to do a number of the projects,’” explains Mummert. The volunteers from the congregation saved the church almost the same amount of money as they had fallen short of in their fundraiser. At first, there was little hope for completing the many renovations needed, but in the end, the loan from the BIC Foundation, together with the funds they’d raised and volunteers’ long hours made Morning Hour a welcoming place of worship.

“We dreamed as big as it seemed within the realm of any kind of common sense to do,” explains Mummert, “our faith is bigger here at Morning Hour Chapel than when we started the project—it was a step in getting this congregation over thinking they are a small country church that does not mean much.”

The renovations to Morning Hour Chapel didn’t just benefit visitors; they also grew the church family. “We really came together in a way that we had not before. People got to know people they had never met, and we saw what each other was capable of,” Petry remembers. And since the project, the church has added to its number significantly. “We are growing and seeing a lot of new people come in,” shares Petry. “That is exciting.”

Last Modified on July 08, 2008 | Brethren in Christ Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.