“Our house is a very, very, very fine house.”

A couple of weeks ago we concluded this year’s outdoor activities for the Yard Care Group (YCG).  The last thing we did was to do a walk around the building.  We talked about things we wanted to accomplish next year and what gains were made this year.  Slow but steady, year by year, the YCG has made improvements to the curb appeal of St. Luke’s.

I can surely say that I’ve been blessed to get to know and work with the people that have been part of the Tuesday and Thursday morning work group.  The first year there were 2 of us, the next year 3, and this year 4.  We are not growing as fast as the quilters, but we’re heading in the right direction!

I would also like to acknowledge the great work done by others on their gardens and how lucky St. Luke’s is to have such dedicated people.  They show up when it best fits their schedules.  If you would like to help but cannot make the designated times, feel free to come in when you can.  There are no rules, it’s just about keeping the place looking nice.  Like my son told me one day, “It’s not about having time, it’s about making time”.

Every month in our Church Council reports we are asked the question, “Where did you see God at work?  How did it live out St. Luke’s Mission?  How did it build up the Kingdom?”  I see God the Holy Spirit motivating us to work on caring for the grounds.  It’s a humble and rewarding stewardship.  By doing so, our property says Welcome to those passing by, and possibly stirring the Holy Spirit within them.

Last week the salt buckets were filled, and the snow-shovels were stationed around the building.  Yes, it’s that time of the year again!   With Learning Tree and St. Luke’s Pre-School staff arriving around 6:30am during the week, there are plenty of opportunities to help with cleaning up the snow before they arrive.  We’ve been showing up around 6:00am to get the Ed Wing end of the building cleaned up before they arrive.  Then as long as we’re here, we do the rest of the building after that.  Parents also show up at noon to pick up their preschooler’s and any time after 3:00 for Learning tree.  There are also other opportunities to help when we get daytime snows.  When you look at the church calendar, you will find there is something going on every night at St. Luke’s Monday thru Thursday.  Here again, there are no rules.  If you show up and it’s already done, you know your heart was in the right place.

In a few short months I will be completing my final year as property chair.  It has been a privilege to serve St. Luke’s in this capacity.  I’m glad that I took on the role as a new retiree.  Often there is a huge hole that occurs in a person’s life when there is no longer a full-time job to work at.   Although far from being a full-time job, being property chair gave me the sense of purpose, responsibility and structure that I was leaving behind.  The flexibility that comes with retirement has been advantageous for both St. Luke’s and myself.  As many people before me have stated, I never thought I would be on church council.  Though a few people can enter the role in complete comfort, I think the majority have some apprehension.  I know I did.  But during my tenure, I learned that it is a very welcoming group, full of understanding people, whose common goal is the welfare of St. Luke’s.
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Back in its heyday, when St. Luke’s was 2000+ members strong, monetary donations took care of many of the tasks that Property has now taken on with volunteer help.  Currently, the property chair has an active role in all of the following functions.  The thought is to have a volunteer take on sole responsibility for a single task below, with the exception of snow shoveling and YCG which requires participation by multiple people.
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Some of the tasks are:

1. Weekly setting of the heating and cooling requirements for the upcoming week.  All of which can be done remotely while having your morning coffee.
2. Light maintenance of the HVAC systems. Part of this role includes changing air filters, greasing bearings and washing off the condensing coils   Most of these functions are on the roof.
3. Snow shoveling, which was previously mentioned.
4. YCG.  This group provides maintenance of the garden areas throughout the property.  The Rain Garden maintenance alone requires about 50 hours work per season.  I will continue to work with this group.  We all have our passions, this is mine.
5. Maintaining the interior lights.  This includes replacing burned out lights, testing emergency lights quarterly and replacing the batteries as needed, replacing batteries in the touch free faucets and purchasing replacement bulbs and batteries.  This position has been accepted.
6. AED Maintenance.  We recently learned that this device needs to be tested monthly.  This function only takes a few minutes.  The battery needs to be replaced every 4 years and the pads every 2 years.
7. Property Administrator.  This is the most important task, serving as the council representative for property.

​If you are interested in, or have any questions about the tasks above, feel free call, text, email or catch me between services.
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Marc Dunham
952-715-2819
[email protected]

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