Randy Harling“Some of you thought you were coming to a building dedication, but today is about recommitting your heart to Jesus Christ,” pastor Randy Harling urged members of the First Simpsonville congregation Aug. 3.
Three celebration services culminated an $11 million campaign that began in 2007 to construct a 1,400-seat sanctuary.
“This service is not about a building,” Harling continued. “It’s about allowing the spirit of God to move in our hearts to do whatever He wants.”
In a message based on John 11:11-16, he proclaimed, “If my spirit is not open, others will suffer.” When spirits are open, however, the focus is on the future, hearts are faithful, and others are inspired to build relationships with God, he said.
“Twenty-four people in 1888, meeting in a house, believed the future that God was calling them to, and they built a church on this site,” he noted.
Children’s minister Anna Ruth Yelton leads the congregation in a litany of dedication for First Simpsonville’s new sanctuary.