Inventory
We moved to the little town of Cherryville, NC in the middle of the bitter Winter of 1960. Dad assumed pastorate of a church. Major snowfalls happened three weeks in a row.
Life was not easy. Every person capable of getting a job did or tried to. I was age 14. My brother Brad got a job in a grocery store. I tried. The manager said I was too young.
Week after week I kept trying to convince the manager to let me work. He would not. Finally, I asked him to let me volunteer for two weeks. If my work was not satisfactory I would accept his decision. He hired me for 50 cents an hour.
Work in a grocery store requires many skills. Ringing cash register and putting money in a drawer is a small part of the operation. Meat, produce, dairy, bread, staples of groceries, medical items, and stock room begin a list. Tasks include bagging, cleaning, stocking, etc.
In time my work was with Winn-Dixie. The Manager was Mr. Winn (not owner). He demonstrated excellent leadership. In particular, he would stand at the front entrance and greet customers as if they were special friends. No wonder our store was one of the top stores in the chain.
If there were few customers, Mr. Winn would call all employees to the front and ask them to park their personal cars directly outside the main doors of the store. People passing would see all the cars. Before long, customers were in the aisles.
Other lessons included teamwork. Saturday nights no one could leave until the store was completely mopped and cleaned. No fancy machines. Just a stick mop and sweat. If we worked together the process was quick and efficient—home before too late. I hitchhiked 13 miles each way. Often not getting home until almost midnight.
Inventory was one of the great lessons for me. About every three months every item in the story had to be counted—including damaged goods. Only after inventory did we know what had been damaged or stolen, and how much profit had been made.
The first time I ever saw an inventory it seemed like a real waste of money. In time an appreciation grew for the process of auditing.
As a pastor it is important to me to audit. If we as a body of people do not audit, we may not know what has been damaged or what the devil has stolen. If a shepherd did not count his sheep, how would he know that 99 were safe and one was missing? Without inventory, one does not know if there is loss or gain.
We are inventorying. We are evaluating what the Lord has put in our hands. We are looking to see what seems good to the Lord for our future. We are going on the offensive, preparing, and investing.
We are remodeling, planning expansion, re-structuring administration, projecting a five-year plan, praying, looking to reach the harvest more effectively and with greater results.
We believe that what we are doing is pleasing to God. We are passionate about our task. We know that the Holy Spirit has commissioned and empowered us. The time is now. We will seize the opportunity for the glory of Christ.
So, My Friend, come join with us. You have been looking for a Body of people that deeply loves the Lord. You have been desiring a closer walk with the Lord. You have been hoping to find a place to give your efforts to help share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. Covenant is the place to be.
We expect that the inventory when we report to Jesus will establish that our labors are not in vain. We plan to produce many souls and mature disciples for the pleasure of Our Lord.
Pastor Bare
Luke 19 "Occupy until I come..."