Saturday, June 28, 2003

June 28, 2003


Only 1 more day till Groundbreaking Sunday!

10:03 PM Just back from a visit to the big tent. Lots of our people were in and out tonight checking on things: Mari Burda and Mary Mattucci were setting up for the picnic in Austin Gardens. Mary Brooks, Donnie, Tom and Gail Tornow were watching the tent until 9 PM. Dwight and Betty Nelson came by, also Pastor Andrew Irvin plus Cliff and Phyllis Raad. Lots of passersby wanted to know what the big tent was all about. Meanwhile, we’ve got another crew staying in the tent through the night. The weather still looks very good for Sunday.

4:02 PM Do you know what a “Hurdy-Gurdy” is? (I’m just guessing at the spelling.) I don’t either, but Patrick is going to play it tomorrow during the service. It looks and sounds like an organ grinder. It’s a small box with a hand crank on the side …

3:57 PM Just got back from the big tent. There are over 1000 chairs already set up with another 200 ready to go if we need them. Right now the worship team is running through the music for tomorrow. Everyone who walks or drives by the church stops to stare. Nothing like this has happened on Lake Street in Oak Park in a long, long time. At this moment the sun is shining but we expect more rain tonight. Forecast for tomorrow: Sunny, temps in the upper 70s. Great day to have church under the big tent. Great day for a picnic. BTW, our tech guys will be taping the service so we can post it on the website on Monday or Tuesday so people can view it at their convenience.

11:27 AM The tent is up—and it’s huge! Cover most of the west parking lot. They started about 7 AM and by 9 AM the tent itself was in place. They are now putting in the chairs, the lighting and the platform. Calvary will install the sound system, move the Hammond organ, and position the portable baptistry later today.

8:56 AM Marlene and I rode our bikes past the church a few minutes ago and saw the workmen spreading out the huge tent in the west parking lot. The big question involves when the rain will hit. It looks like it will arrive in about two hours or so. The weather report for tomorrow looks excellent—partly sunny, temps in the mid-70s. Dress rehearsal for the service is set for 2 PM today.


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