Hello, everyone!  Pastor Joe asked me to give an update on the work being done over at The Vine.  Lots of sweat, hard work, and tears have gone into preparing for Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles) next month.  Several church members have come out to volunteer on Sundays (among other days) to help get ready the building and property for the feast.  We are so grateful for everyone's help.  However, mucho props are given to Pastor Joe and Vickie for working tirelessly EVERY day to prepare.  

The largest bulk of the work has been on the church building.  Insulation is being put in to prepare for sheet rock to be hung.  There are people that will help with electricity, plumbing, and air conditioning once this is completed.  When ready, services will move into the building instead of inside Pastor Joe's home.  There has been much cleaning and organizing of materials.  Unfortunately, many spiders are currently unhappy as they've had to vacate the premises.  

A large project of Pastor Joe's was to pull up the many tree stumps around the property.  He rented an excavator to pull up them and volunteers helped clean out tree roots and other debris.  Pastor Joe then moved the stumps and covered the holes back up with his tractor.  I think he really liked the excavator as the insane air conditioning was mentioned several times.  Vickie said he worked through the night quite often.

Pastor Joe and Jonathan spent a day trimming trees around the property.  There were so many that it spanned the length of the house.  They should have plenty of firewood this winter.  We love to sit around it and chat on Shabbat evenings.  

Several volunteers came out to move bricks, trim weeds, cut the grass, make new trails, and attend to odds and ends around the property.  There have been many, many trips made to the storage area where there will be a huge bonfire one day.  

We are so thankful for all those that have given of their time to help the church prepare for Sukkot.  It wouldn't be possible if not for the many hands that had stepped in to support the mission.  It's been a hot summer down here in South Carolina and many people braved the heat to help.  Thank you so much, everyone.

Thank you again to Pastor Joe and Vickie for opening their home to us each week and for giving selflessly for the church.  We are so grateful for your leadership.