When the observer asked the farmer what was going on, the farmer laughed, “Oh, that’s the village idiot. He’s taken up archery, and he likes to think he’s hitting the bull’s-eye every time he shoots an arrow.”

There have been many times that I have wanted finding a building to use as our worship center 24/7 to be as easy as shooting an arrow then drawing the circle so I knew it was a bull’s-eye. Although it hasn’t been that easy, I do feel, after looking for 7 years and using three “temporary” locations we have hit a bull’s-eye in our new location.

Since Ryan Farrell asked me to share about the heartaches and blessings of our journey to finding a 24/ 7 location I have attempted to retrace what has brought us to this point and make the following observations.

I) It Takes A Lot of Arrows

Looking back I feel sorry for Dr. Wilson having to work with pastor’s looking for a place to call home. It seems every time he came to town I was dragging him off to look at another place that we were considering. I have no idea how many phone calls I have made and how many buildings I have looked at over the years. But every time, for one reason or another, they just didn’t work out. Unlike the farmer, I don’t call the arrow shooter the village “idiot”. I think he just got tired of shooting and missing and decided it was more enjoyable to draw his own target. Truth is because I was tired of missing I almost didn’t shoot the arrow that hit the target for the place we are now in.

Recently a reporter from Bangor Daily news was in our morning worship service to write a story of our relocation. In the interview she asked me how we found the building. I wish I could have given her some dramatic story of a guiding light type experience. But the truth is there was a sign in the window “For Lease” so I called the number. Because of the name on the sign, Webber Oil, I really didn’t feel like calling. Past arrow shooting was telling me, "a large corporation, a prime location, plenty of parking... there is no way." But I called anyway. Knock me over, we hit a bull’s-eye. The contact person, Mr. Ray Cota, vice-president of real estate for Webber Oil has a son who had stayed on the Bethany Bible College campus some 17 years ago during a summer hockey league and had a great experience. Mr. Cota not only had heard of the Wesleyan Church, but also was very open to a church being in the building. After two months of negations we signed a lease option upon zoning requirements being met. Lesson learned? Keep shooting arrows.

II) It takes a lot of shooters

The transformation of the building from a tired looking, needing a Mary Kay face-lift to an attractive inviting place has taken a lot of people. Since we began the project the first weekend of August, until we moved on Sunday November 16, it blows my mind the people that have been arrow shooters. From the people of the church who have put in hundreds of hours, to those paid by Webber Oil it has been miracle after miracle. I’m running out of my 700-word limit, but have to say my faith has been increased and stretched by the unexpected sources that God has used to make this all possible. Lesson learned? God has all kinds of arrow shooters.

Because of the building’s central location many have stopped by and the overwhelming response is, “I can’t believe it’s the same building”. This has opened many doors for us to share the message that this is what the gospel is all about: being transformed.

Pray with us that this location will be a place were lives are being transformed. And when in the city, stop by 146 Center St. and check it out.