Freshening Up –VERB // making brighter and prettier
Lots of young families are making their way to Cuyahoga Valley Church, and we are so very grateful that God is sending them here to experience new life in Christ. In addition to families coming on Sunday for services, throughout the week a good number of classes, studies and events also have families with children on site. That means rooms occupied by kids experience the wear and tear that comes with usage. And that’s a great problem to have!
In response, CVC recently invested in some general freshening up – especially in our children’s venues. This effort hasn’t gone unnoticed, as comments about the refreshed environments of the CVCKids area are received regularly.
Many comments are positive and reflect appreciation. Some are borne out of artistic curiosity, inquiring as to the styles chosen, color schemes, and creativity expressed. Still others ask about affordability and using funds toward a project like this in a tight budget. These are good questions that should be asked by those who invest in CVC. So what’s up?
Not too long ago, an overall plan was being discussed to freshen up the children’s venues and expand the foyer area—including replacing carpet. Steps were being taken for that to happen. CVC children’s areas hadn’t had any real sprucing up for 12 years. Some portable equipment in our classrooms was over 25 years old, having been used way back during the Lawrence School days.
However, as the weekly offering started to decline, a decision needed to be made about where to invest the more scarce funds needed for improvements: Foyer expansion? Carpeting? Kids environments?
The decision was made to invest in our young families and the environments experienced by so many children each week, including expansion in our special needs areas.
And the funds to do this work—how did they come together?
For starters, to save dollars the original plan for children’s areas was scaled back. Then early this year, flooding caused water damage in some of our Lower Level kids’ rooms. This turned out to be a blessing as insurance money to cover repairs was stretched to include some of the other needed improvements. In addition, a sizeable portion of labor and materials were either donated or given to CVC at cost. This equated to an absolutely huge savings because of the servant leaders who understand and value the vision of having CVC grow through young families.
Thank you to all who invested in this project. And thank you to all who invest their time, talent and treasure in the overall ministry at Cuyahoga Valley Church. Doing so helps accomplish our mission of inviting people to new life in Christ. Really: is there any better investment?
