Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters. (Proverbs 25:13 – NASB95)
Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land. (Proverbs 25:25 – NASB95)
Imagine being in the middle of a heat wave in the summer (harvest time) and then being refreshed by the cold of snow or a cold drink of water. Solomon says that is what it’s like when we receive good news from people far away. Well, I have received some really good news from people who used to attend our church many years ago, members of the Thompson family.
Two weeks ago, I shared an encouraging email from Laura Brewer (maiden name – Laura Thompson) about growing up at our church and how it impacted her life to this day. This week, I want to share an email from her brother, Paul Thompson.
Note: Paul and his sisters are currently in an ongoing email with Donn Williams who is sending them photos and other archives from the years they grew up here (including the family photo below). Thank you, Donn, for finding all those incredible memories for them!
Please read the email from Paul and rejoice in the impact our church made on them. Rejoice also in the impact their faithful parents made on our church. They are incredible examples of being devoted to their church and giving of their time, talents, and treasures in a sacrificial way for the glory of God. Perhaps reading Paul’s email will give you a greater appreciation for the worship center where we meet each week. What an incredible impact volunteers can make for all eternity! A great reminder before our annual business meeting this Sunday.
Here’s Paul Thompson’s email to me:
Well, here goes. This email will probably bring me to a few tears. I have so many wonderful memories at the church, but the best are being with and working with my dad. You’ve gotten a very good picture of how wonderful our parents were. My sisters and I have said many times how blessed we are to have been the children of Bengie and Martha Thompson. We won the lottery!! BIG TIME
My dad had two sayings that I remember well: “How do you dig a hole, one shovel full at a time,” and “How do you eat an Elephant, one bite at a time”. That was how he approached all projects. While my dad was building the home we grew up in, we all lived in my grandparents two two-car garage. We called it the garage house. It took him over two years to complete the construction. He only worked evenings and Saturdays. Sunday was the day of rest and reserved for family and church.
Sometime after our house was completed, Dad learned that the church was about to lose the construction building permit for the new sanctuary. The church was out of money, and all construction had been stopped for several years. I can remember that there was only the perimeter foundation wall and some concrete posts in the middle to support a future floor. Tall weeds were growing up inside where the sanctuary would be and all around the outside. The pastor and or deacons learned that the church could keep the building permit if the church could claim owner builder and start construction themselves. My dad volunteered to head up that project and began calling men in the church to work on Saturdays. I was probably eight years old at that time. After Bengie got home from a hard day’s work, plus an hour and a half to two-hour drive, he would call men of the church to line up who would be working with him next Saturday. He would go through the plans to determine what project needed to be completed next. Someone in the church office would set up city inspections when needed. Bear in mind that my father was not a building contractor. He was a heavy industry insulator (Asbestos worker). Primarily, he worked on power houses and oil refineries all over southern California.
The overall construction of the sanctuary took four to five years. Every Saturday, Bengie was there. Sometimes he had five guys, and sometimes he had fifteen to twenty. There was a diner at the corner of the building, kitty corner from the church (I don’t think it’s there any longer). Men would meet there, have breakfast then start their day’s work. He wasn’t around on Saturdays. So, quite often, I would go with him. I loved going to the diner with the men. I was given jobs of cleaning up, sweeping, or even straightening bent nails. All of that was ok with me because I was with my dad.
Over time, the sanctuary grew a little at a time. When needed, contractors were hired for specific jobs. Finally, in April 1960, the sanctuary was completed. There was still dirt around the sanctuary. No patio, no concrete walkways, and no attached office building. All of that came later. I worked with my dad to pour the concrete and pebble front patio. Funny story, Bengie had never poured concrete with pebbles sprinkled on top before. It was trial and error. The first rectangle we poured and finished didn’t turn out very well. If you look at the patio, that one is easy to pick out. We discovered that the pebbles had dirt mixed in with them. So when you put pebbles in the finished concrete, the water in the concrete would absorb the dirt and ruin the finished product. After that, we screened the pebbles, and the rest of the patio came out very nice.
There’s a lot of stories I can tell you about going to church for two services on Sunday morning then back at night and Wednesday night. Bengie leading Sunday night singing and playing his violin. Involvement at Sunday school and I was part of the touring youth choir. Arlene Likes, what a wonderful person she was. A tremendous giver. She was always there ready to help anyone. Friends at the church and girls I dated. Pastor Wells and how much I respected and admired him. But what stands out the most is the foundation of my faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and my Salvation. The church and my parents have had a tremendous influence on who I am as a person. That has stayed with me throughout my entire life.
Paul, I hope my sister’s emails and mine have given you a clear picture of the influence the church, you now lead, has had on three of the past parishioners. If the church has had this much influence on us, just imagine all of the others through the many years that God has had his hand on. I am confident that The Bridge Church, led by God and you, will continue to live on to affect more lives and bring more people to Christ.
Paul Thompson
