Chapel Chimes Fall 2023
Pastor Rhonda baptizes a Clearwater Beach vacationer on September 20. Photo by Glenda Creasy.
“For Such a Time As This” –Esther 4:14 By Rev. Rhonda Blevins
It seems that for my entire ministry, I’ve been preparing for this moment. Let me explain. My very first week as your pastor, I knew that one of the projects I needed to tackle was to remodel the Chancel area—it’s a safety hazard for anyone who dares to enter the organ pit. I also knew that we needed to replace the now 74-year-old light fixtures in the sanctuary. Many of them are broken, and I would discover that you can’t just replace 74-year-old light fixtures. You have to buy all new light fixtures (time to go LED!) And if you go for all new light fixtures, that means redoing the entire ceiling. This would be no cheap fix. Then a couple of years into my time as your pastor, our electronic organ began to fail. I was told, “Your organ has stage 4 cancer,” by the organ repairman. Oof. We set out to find a suitable replacement, and found a real pipe organ, the perfect size for our space, at the fraction of the cost of what a new pipe organ would cost. Installing a real pipe organ would mean remodeling the Chancel (already on my list). And you can see how we ended up with a full-blown sanctuary remodeling project. How would we fund this work? We launched a capital campaign, and to my amazement, your pledges exceeded our goal because of your continued generosity to God’s work through the Chapel. You continue to amaze and surprise me, Chapel by the Sea.
It made sense to connect this work with the celebration of our 75th Anniversary in 2024 (like how you connected the Friendship Foyer and Memorial Garden project to your 50th Anniversary!) As all this has come together, I believe my task, as your pastor, is to position the church for what God is calling us to do into the next 75 years of church life. What is that, exactly? That’s where the “For Such a Time As This” grant comes in. We received a $10,000 grant recently through Columbia Seminary to help us do the work of clarifying our mission, vision and values—as well as to identify a couple of initiatives to keep our momentum high following the completion of our renovation. You see, while we are blessed with an amazing church building in one of the most incredible places a church could imagine being—it’s not all about a building. It’s not about new light fixtures or a pipe organ or new tile floors or fancy audio-visual equipment. It’s about serving Christ. That’s what it’s all about! This “Holy Trinity” of work: 1) the Sanctuary Remodel, 2) the 75th Anniversary Celebrations, and 3) the “For Such a Time As This” efforts—these THREE efforts support the ONE reason for our existence: to be a beacon of faith shining into the future in Clearwater Beach and beyond. What a time to be a part of Chapel by the Sea! I look forward to stepping into RevBlev 2024 with you!