Our church just recently obtained a few extra acres behind our present facility. It’s is filled with green trees, a few creeks, scattered clearings, and lots of fallen leaves, layers of pine needles, scattered broken limbs. And I would belittling the land if I didn’t mention the snakes, poison ivy, lizards, and even slow moving turtles.
Long covered over is an old homestead for a once proud log cabin. Not sure where the logs ended up, or where the foundation lies … but maybe the wintery days of leafless hardwoods might reveal the stones that once lifted the lives of people with stories and family and connections. Did they attend our church … when it was a wooden framed one room church?
What work did they do? Farmers? Raise cattle? Did they serve in the military? What treasure trove of memories did we lose when they were no longer part of the community? What trails did they blaze when they were around?
Running from the road before the church, through the woods, right past the cabin was a logging road – gravel covered, rutted and taking people out past the cabin – past a family cemetery – to some old barns that hold nothing but snakes now – a new(ish) home – and lots of fields. The road is gone now. The edifices remain.
Back to the story …
We really want to use the land. It squares out our plat very well. Yet, it’s creeks, it’s tough terrain, make out very difficult to plan on how to best use the land. One plan includes a pavilion and recreation area in the middle of the land – a flat area that is risen above the old creeks.
And we will cut a trail that horseshoes through the woods, and have a shoot off that connects with the family cemetery. Zigs. Zags. Some ups. Some downs. A few jumps over the creeks (till we get some bridges – a whole other story). Lots of leaves falling.
A month or so ago, I decided to start cutting the trail. Now I am no professional. I own very few tools. I keep an old rusty hatchet below my carseat, and a machete in the FJ. That is about my limit.
Over the next few entries, I will share some of the process, some of the work, and some of the fruit of the labor … and some of the vision of where this is headed (at least in my head).
But today – the plan.
What do we want? What is the goal? Before you start the project, you have to know where you want to go. This is simple project management protocol.
Being Baptist, I started where other Baptist start – I formed a committee. We, by we, I mean me …. we gathered and discussed potential, ideas, and more. The haze started to become clear. A trail. A pavilion. A clearing for volleyball, games, whatever. Not too much. Not too far. Picnics … Bible studies … small receptions … more.
Ideas were typed up. Dreams were laid out.
But this was still in the planning stage. We were in a holding pattern. An official survey of the plot was being developed. And then – I got cheap twine and vinyl ribbon – laid out the entire border … high enough to be seen and not catch deer … fragile enough to break if a taller animal does cross it.
From there, I got a couple spray paint cans – Neon Green – and walked with a couple people to blaze the potential trail.
Before long – the plan was coming together. And …
Before you move forward, you need to have a plan.
Stay tuned … We are going to see where this plan takes us. What trail lies ahead?
Muddy Shoes by Todd 
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