Parkview Flooded

Despite all of our best efforts, we are losing our church to the flood. This picture was taken by a Parkview member at 3pm today. We had built sandbag walls to withstand flood heights of 30 feet, but the predictions are at 38 feet. As of this morning there was about 3 feet of water INSIDE the building. Water will eventually reach the roof line. It is very sad and discouraging. There are so many memories and connections I have to this place. It's where we said good-bye to my dad (until we are re-united in heaven.) It is where we came to know Jesus. It is where we got married. It is where our kids have been dedicated, educated, and have grown spiritually. It is where so many people have put in so much time and effort. There are so many unknowns. Where will Sam and Lily go to preschool in the fall?! But yet through all of this, there is now more than ever a sense of family and community in our church. People have been through so much together. We are constantly reminded that our church is NOT a building; our church is the PEOPLE! Even with all of the uncertainty, we continued to have and finished out VBS. On Wednesday we moved everything to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (over by us, luckily!) It was challenging to make do with the space and resources we had, but everything went surprisingly well! Many of the bridges in Iowa City are closed today and travel around the city is interesting, to say the least. Predictions are that all bridges will eventually close. We have not seen the worst flooding yet - that will come early next week. If you're interested, Scott, our worship pastor, has done an amazing job of chronicling the efforts at the church on his blog. He has pictures of the removal of "meaningful artwork" (a piece my mom helped create! I can only hope mine was removed too!),and evacuation of all of the furniture, electronics, and pianos on forklifts through the water! Also, keep checking Parkview's website. They have been adding more pictures and videos and have the latest updates on the building's status.