On Thursday, July 12, 2018, around 80 people gathered for a time of fellowship, reflection and thanksgiving for our CBAC office building. With the pending sale, we felt it appropriate to offer thanks to God for the use of this space He has granted us for this time and release it for new purposes.
Below is a written liturgy and details of what was read and shared at this gathering. Also below are some photos of the gathering and a liturgy prepared for this deconsecration.
AN ORDER FOR THE LEAVE–TAKING OF A DENOMINATIONAL OR CHURCH BUILDING
This order is intended to be used when the Denominational office building has been sold and is hereafter to be used for other purposes. The service will follow a pattern familiar to the constituents, with this order concluding the service of the building for the purposes of Denominational work and life. This order is being used for the deconsecrating of the building for its use in the Lord’s service and for releasing it for its new purposes as an ordinary office building.
WELCOME AND BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BUILDING
(Rev. Dr. Peter Reid, Executive Minister shared briefly)
LITANY OF THANKSGIVING (Read by Andrew Myers)
Come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
and the mightiest mountains.
5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land, too.
6 Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
7 for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.
Psalm 69:1-7
SCRIPTURES (Read by Rev. Renee Embree)
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
Psalm 127:1
A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Hebrews 11:8-10
SPECIAL READING
(Wendy Jones, will bring a reading written by her for this special occasion, her Dad, Loyal Brace was President of the CBAC and took part in the dedication of the new building in 1980)
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RETURNING THE SPACE TO THE COMMON (Rev. Greg Jones)
When the common materials of this building were consecrated to God, God began to use them to mediate His presence and action here. First, this place became where we did work for God.
We did not treat this space as we would treat ordinary space but as we would treat the very presence of God. But sacred spaces are not merely symbolic, for God graciously transforms symbolism into reality. Not by our action or conceptualization, but through His gracious action the common becomes the holy and ordinary space becomes God’s real presence.
Today we return this space to the common and return this place to the earth. God will still be present here, for He is always everywhere present. God might still meet people and act in this space, for God can meet people and act anywhere.
But today His glory departs from this room and from this building with us, until He deigns to sanctify new holy ground for us.
DECLARATION OF DECONSECRATION (Dr. Peter Reid)
This building,
having been consecrated
and named the Office of the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada,
together with the land on which it stands and all objects remaining in it,
we now deconsecrate and release for any Christian Denominational use.
We declare that it is no longer
the place of meeting and work of the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada.
CLOSING PRAYER
By Rev. Wayne Murphy, Vice-President of the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada
*Please note the update re: timeline and delay for the sale of the building and the prayer request associated with that. https://atlanticbaptist.ca/news/update-on-the-sale-of-the-cbac-office-building/.
