Eight new students this week…..

We survived the first week of school.  We are still working out bugs….like discovering our security door will not property unlatch when the security code is entered into our cool flat screen, high tech, check in system….so that requires a whole re wiring.

Our telephone is ringing off the hook…parents wanting to enroll and tour the school.  We schedule them in groups!  We have had 8 children enroll this week and several packets are outstanding.

We still have workers addressing issues around the building. Outside they are still working on the grounds.  Furniture for three offices arrived today…..things are beginning to take shape.

Please pray the door on the 2 year room can be delivered and installed so we can open that room and free up another room for a new three year old room that is already necessary.

Pray as we schedule the preview services and plan the layout of the worship space, seating, AV systems, etc.

We are thankful for a talented volunteer who built our new website (from scratch!) which has gone live tonight! (www.concordiachurch.com)

Pray for our Community Sports Day coming up August 22 as we continue to build relational bridges and serve people in this new community.

Pray for our dedication of the worship space coming  Sunday, September 6.  We will pause for remembrance, celebrate the milestone in the journey, reflect on the amazing miracle it is that God made this day possible.

Praise God!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him all creatures here below.

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  AMEN.

A note from one of our prayer partners (we love you!):  Now that you are open the REAL work begins….
And now there is more to pray about…. Pastor, teachers, kids and their families. etc. etc.
So… I will keep praying!

Video of first day of school…….

Prayers for tomorrow are very appreciated!

Thank you for your prayers for our opening day at the Concordia Preschool!  We are most grateful to see this day come and experience it in living color. The check in process was amazingly smooth.

The separation anxiety was a little bit intense. We had our share of crying and screaming (and some of this came from the children!)  It is an emotional experience for parents leaving their child often for the first time.

Please pray tomorrow.  Pray for the children and the parents. Pray especially for those children who are nervous about being away from their parents, sometimes for the first time.  Pray for parents as they entrust another for the care and wellbeing of their precious children.  Pray for the check in process.

Finally, pray a special prayer of thanks and mercy on the preschool teachers who do amazing work in the face of great challenges…..meeting children for the first time and trying to very quickly understand their temperments and personalities while trying to still learn their names!  And we have such a lovely rainbow of children and interesting names that originate in many countries.  What a wonderful blessing for the children and staff to meet other children and families with many different customs and cultures…..created as special children of the Creator who made them all so beautiful and diverse.  What a privilege and joy to serve them and see them grow in the knowledge and understanding of their Creator and the world He created!

Opening Day – Pray for us this week

It is opening day!  The little countdown calendar no longer says “Preschool open in 50 days or 30 days or 15 days…..”  It is today!

What seemed impossible, now IS……and we give God all the glory and honor.  Thank you Prayer Partners for thanking God with us too! (If you want to hear a special teaching from Nehemiah from yesterday, you can read the highlight notes at www.concordiahome.info or hear the complete podcast there too!)

Please pray as we welcome a lot of first time students and their parents.

Enjoy this 10 minute video of our ribbon cutting ceremony from Friday.

Ribbon – Cutting of Concordia Preschool – Praise God!

“Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.”—Matthew 6:10.

What an amazing day!  The morning was crazy and workers were still installing door handles, checking air conditioning wiring and ducts, wiring the monitors for the check in system, etc……

In the middle of the day, we had an opportunity to pray together and focus on the privilege of being a part of this important work.

Pastor directed the ribbon cutting ceremony and festivities.  Our business partners and restaurants were very generous in their gifts of food and the Concordia ladies did up an amazing refreshments table!  Together we were able to recognize how amazing it is to see  a vision realized especially in the face of considerable obstacles along the way. It was good to recognize the hard work of the entire team.  The Architect Tony Mansour, the amazing General Contractors, Good and Roberts (they had never seen a building this big go up so quickly), Rick Engineering Landscape Architects, David Poole (who stuck with us through 10 extensions in purchasing the property) of Brookfield Homes, etc.

The teachers worked hard getting their rooms up and when we ran out of time, they just hid the rest of the boxes as best they could.  After the ribbon cutting, everyone got to tour the preschool from the amazingly wide hallway through the oneway glass into the classrooms so that the santized classrooms could stay pristine for the Monday morning first day of classes.  The teachers will work yet again tomorrow.

Monday is going to be crazy. Pray for us as we welcome families to their new school (looks like the count is close to 90 on the first day and then on Tuesday another 20 or 30 first timers!)

Here are some photos to enjoy of the day.

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Building Inspector issues temporary occupancy!

We really can open school on Monday!  We had some close calls yesterday when we thought perhaps the Fire Marshall would not issue his occupancy permit.  Yes we had some tense moments but this evening was a sign of relief and thankfulness.  The Building Inspector came today and although his list of things to repair was a mile long, he DID issue our occupancy permit!  It is a miracle of God!  After we were assured of his approval, we sent out the email letting parents know of the Monday morning procedures.

Today we began the unloading of school supplies. This continues tomorrow.  If anyone is free and has some time to volunteer in helping us with the unpacking tomorrow…..call us.  We have a brand new phone number at the new site too:  (619) 656-8100.  It is a live number as of today. If you don’t get a response, you can try the Oxford number (619) 422-6606.

Aahhhhhh, the joys of 12 hour days!  Mary Mason, Deanna Otto, Dorie and I were at the church until about 8:30 pm and Rosie and Pastor were still working at the church office until late.  There is so much to do to get ready for the ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday and for the opening of school on Monday.  Last minute enrollments and changes in schedules have meant that final distribution of children in the classrooms is not set yet.  We are still interviewing for assistant teacher positions (we need to hire 4 yet!)  We had one interview today and I think one is scheduled for tomorrow.

Despite the mountain of work that lays ahead, it still feels like the home stretch.  Please pray for us as we invite the public to celebrate with us at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday and pray that we can receive the hundred parents and children on the first day of school with joy and delight!

Update this afternoon…..

Update at 2;50pm from Pastor Schmidt

“Just got call…fire inspector signed temporary occupancy.  on its way to Sacramento.  Praise God.  Pass the word…and prayers for tomorrow when the building inspector comes.  He also must give a temp occupancy permit.”

What!  I haven’t heard about the building inspector!  Prayer partners…..pray for a temp. occupancy permit by the building inspector tomorrow.

Update at 1:54pm

The Licensing Analyst arrived this morning at 8am and completed her inspection. She has approved our license pending the approval of the Fire Marshall.  Thankfully, she felt confident enough to do that.  The Fire Marshall arrived in the afternoon and left just a bit ago.  There were today a few things, in his opinion, that yet needed to be completed before he could sign off on the project.  For example, the red curb needed to be painted but couldn’t be done until the Fire Marshall identified and approved the curb.  That will have to be completed in the next two days.  There were a few other things that they are working on now and he is scheduled to return at 3pm.  Pray that he does return at that time.  He will issue us a temporary occupancy which will allow us to take immediate occupancy which will allow us to open for school on Monday, August 3.

Pray for the successful completion of these last minute things.

Pray for the interviews over the next two days of aides.

Pray for the arrival of office furniture and preschool furniture (and a few things that did not arrive with the large shipments)….

Pray for the beginning of school on Monday…..

Keep praying today for that temporary occupancy permit….and for the many other details….

God is so good. Thank you for pleading on our behalf.

Pray Double….Triple…..Tomorrow is THE day.

Yes, we have the Fire Marshall due at 8am to make the final approval.  At the same time is scheduled the State Licensing Analyst who will approve our preschool license.  She cannot approve if the Fire Marshall does not approve.  Pray that all is complete to their satisfaction. Pray that we will found favor. Pray they will see the vision of what this school will accomplish.  Just pray!

Tonight’s Update

Headed out to the preschool and two moving teams were hard at work.  Concordia men (Bud, Kurt, Soren, Tony, Ron, Sergio and Forest) were working hard moving in large numbers of boxes in various rooms.  A Lakeshore team was busy with electric drills assembling furniture.  One box is missing but we are making a last minute change to compensate.

In the playground workers were laying the new generation of beautiful artificial grass over intersting pad that is made up of what looks like recycled tennis shoe soles!  The Paint Stations, Moon Buggy and interesting basket designed to have four children at once toss balls in the “basket” and the ball returns out of four spouts!  The playground needs to be finished by tomorrow.  Please pray.

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The Fire Marshall came late in the day and wrote up about a dozen items that need to be fixed or changes before his final visit on Tuesday morning at 8am for the final sign off.  It appears that the requests needed are doable before then. Pray please!

Also, our licensing analyst will be coming also at 8am on Tuesday.  We are praying she might be able to come a little later in the morning just so we can get through the Fire Marshall review.  Please pray for this.

Today we realized that we need to change the 2 year old room.  Cabinetry will not pass licensing with no doors in two spots and explosed plumbing etc. Also, a crack on a door frame will have to be redone. This will not happen in time…….SO….we are switching all the classrooms around.  Professionalism and experience comes into play when you see that these kinds of last minutes changes unfaze Director Mary Mason.  Thank you Lord for experienced staff.

We have 127 students enrolled this week.  Please pray for the 5 aides we need before school opens on August 3.  We know God has everything in control. Pray that those aides we need for ministry here will be sent our way.

I will post some photos tomorrow morning but want to get this out tonight!

295 Prayer Partners!  Our newest wrote this:

Hi Melissa,

Here’s a name to add:

Doreen Holze, who writes: 

“It is amazing, and shows what can happen when God’s people are united in a vision for their church and their neighborhood.

I’d love to pray.”

Blessings!”

Love,

Judy

Prayer partner Saron, in ministry among African immigrants sent us this encouragement:

God is incontrol and everything is on His hand.

“For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.Though it linger wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”

I am praying for the events what is going on, you blessed for what you have doing.

May God richly bless you.

Saron

Today’s Prayer Needs

Just got back from Orlando…..I am a day behind on the prayer needs. Here they are anyway. I will find out what the latest is tonight!

Melissa

The latest :

Fire Inspection final  tomorrow, Fri 7/24 @3pm.

Critical issues before then:  SDGE power gets on; monitered fire alarm system tested; several other minor corrections needed.  Pray that all these issues are address and corrected and the Fire Inspection passes on Friday afternoon.

If we get final tomorrow, we can begin to assemble furniture on the weekend (and we need that, too)  Pray for LOTS of willing workers.

Playground workers have arrived.  Pray for their safety and deliberate speed, so that all is installed before Tuesday morning’s licensing
inspection.

That’s the latest…

pastor