People will do almost anything to make a name for themselves. And one of the most humorous examples of this need for recognition is seen in all the failed attempts by individuals or groups to get their names in the Guinness Book of World Records.
For example—The Danish man in this picture tried to set a record of the most coconuts broken by hand. He lined them up. A local news crew was there to witness his attempt. You can watch it on Youtube—but not now. Put those smart phones away! Sadly this man didn’t crack a single coconut. In fact the only thing he broke—was his hand. Apparently he had practiced on rotten cantaloupes or something.
Another example of humanity’s attempt at notoriety is seen in a group of one thousand Iranian women who go together to try and make the world’s longest sandwich. They gathered all the materials—all the bread and cheese and meat—no pork products of course. Then they invited tons of their friends to come watch as history was made—and they came. All these spectators stood around for hours as the sandwich was assembled. But—do you know what happens when you stand around for hours with nothing to do but look at a huge sandwich getting assembled? You get hungry and several of these “friends” got so hungry they started eating the 1500 meter long sandwich before it could be officially measured. So—no record!
Here’s one more. Three hundred forty one New Zealanders including this young woman tried to set a record for the number of people who walked across a bed of hot coals in their bare feet. 28 of them ended up being treated for burns and 11 were burned so bad they had to be hospitalized. But, the fire-walking stunt did have some benefits. First, many of those injured in the attempt were doctors and surely this helped raise the empathy level of their bedside manner. Plus they did reach their goal of raising $100,000 for New Zealand’s ambulance service. Unfortunately it cost well over that amount to treat all their injuries.
I mention this because in today’s text from Nehemiah we come across a long list of people WHO did get their names published for an amazing feat. And their names do not appear in a silly tome like Guinness’ Book of World Records. No—they appear in THE book—GOD’S book—the Bible. Over the millennia, countless numbers of people have read their names and their amazing accomplishment.
But popularity wasn’t their goal. That thought never even entered their minds. No—their goal was to rebuild by hand the 2.5 mile long wall around the city of Jerusalem—and they did it in 52 days. Their leader was Nehemiah and in the third chapter of the diary/prayer journal that bears his name, he lists these people and their part in this monumental task.
Now, I’m not going to read today’s text because of its length—and because you’d either drift off as I tried to wade through all those hard-to-pronounce names or I’d sprain my tongue from the effort and not be able to finish this message. But go ahead and open your Bibles to this text—Nehemiah chapter 3—so you can refer to it in our study. As you scan these 32 verses you’ll see it is basically a long list of names paired with tasks. In fact, one Biblical commentator refers to this chapter as a “colorless memorandum of assignments.” And he wasn’t alone in his opinion. In his book on Nehemiah, Hand Me Another Brick, Charles Swindoll skipped this chapter all together. I admire Swindoll VERY much but wish he hadn’t done that. I could have used his insights this week in my study! But I do understand somewhat why he chose to do this—because texts like this filled with nothing but names seem kind of dry. I mean, the verses in this chapter are not picked as memory verses in AWANA. People don’t tend to turn to Nehemiah 3 for help or inspiration in times or trial. In fact, most people consider not just this chapter but all the chapters in the Bible that are filled with lists of names to be nothing more than a source of a big yawn. In their minds verses like these are not near as much fun as reading the names of those who made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. I mean, let’s be honest, when we come to names lists like these most of us skip over them so that we can get to “the good stuff.” This is a mistake because these names are not just Biblical trivia. No—as 2nd Timothy 3:16 says, “ALL SCRIPTURE (even lists of names) is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”-—which means that even our text for this morning is filled with eternal truth we need to understand. God inspired it because He knew it would bless us. We need to study it. We need to learn the story behind all these names.
But—before we do that—before we dive in, let me back us up a bit to remind us all of the setting—in case some of you missed the last couple weeks. In 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army captured the Jews, Jerusalem was destroyed, the walls were knocked down, and the temple was burned. The people were deported and were forced into slavery and Jerusalem was left in ruins. But God did not forsake His people. Decades later He moved King Cyrus to make a decree to let some of the Jews return. And in three stages, over about a hundred years, the Jews were allowed to migrate back to Jerusalem, only to discover the city was still demolished and desolate. Through Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter one, we learned that he was concerned about the problem of Jerusalem’s desolation, he had a conviction about God’s character, he confessed his sins—and he was committed to get involved in rebuilding. Remember all that pastoral sermon alliteration? Last week we read about how Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah permission to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and we saw how as “General Contractor” of this HUGE project Nehemiah had 4 tools in his toolbox—tools he would use to rebuild the wall—and relying on more alliteration we saw that they were: the tool of patience, prayer, planning and perseverance—the same tools we need to learn to use as we obey God’s commands and tackle tough jobs.
Now—if you look at this graphic and follow along in your Bibles it will make it easier for you to understand what Nehemiah is describing in his third chapter. You’ll see the specific portions of the wall that these specific people were assigned. Beginning in the north Nehemiah gave the priests the portion beginning with the SHEEP GATE. Then going counterclockwise—the next portion started at the FISH GATE—so named because this is where merchants from the Mediterranean Sea brought their fish into the city to sell. There were also two towers there that were an integral part of the city’s defenses. Now—I’m going to use three words a lot as we go around the wall—so hand in there. The words are “the next section.” Ready?
THE NEXT SECTION began at was called “The OLD gate” which is interesting because it led into a NEW quarter of the city! THE NEXT SECTION began at the VALLEY GATE which you may remember is the gate Nehemiah used when he made his midnight examination of the condition of the walls. THE NEXT SECTION was located in the southernmost tip of the city—leading to the DUNG GATE. It was a main exit to the city and led to the Valley of Hinnom where the city disposed of its garbage—hence the name “Dung Gate.” This is the place Jesus used as a word picture to describe Hell—because of the fires that were constantly burning there—as a way of disposing of the city’s refuse. The FOUNTAIN GATE and its section of wall was on the east of the city—near the pool of Siloam and the water tunnel built by King Hezekiah—an important source of water for the city. You can still walk through Hezekiah’s water tunnel to this day as this tourist is doing. THE NEXT SECTION—the WATER GATE—was apparently the way people left the city to get water from the spring of Hiloam before Hezekiah built his tunnel.
Nehemiah does not say that this gate was repaired—juts the walls adjacent to it. Perhaps with Hezekiah’s tunnel it was no longer needed so it was walled up. THE NEXT SECTION—the HORSE GATE and its portion of the wall was north of the water gate and was near the temple area. THE NEXT SECTION including the EAST GATE and its walls is now called the GOLDEN GATE. Tradition says that Jesus entered the temple on Palm Sunday through this gate.
By the way, in the 16th century Muslims sealed this gate and put a huge graveyard outside it because it is believed that when Jesus returns He will come through this gate. Here’s a picture. Now—what about it—do you think a few blocks of rock and a couple hundred tombs of dead people will prevent Jesus from returning? THE NEXT SECTION includes the last gate is the INSPECTION GATE and it was where the army was reviewed and registered.
Well, from our little “tour” you can see this was indeed a HUGE job—lots of gates—miles of walls four feet thick and 20 feet high—and looking at it this way tells me that if anyone deserved to get their name into Guinness’ book—it would be Nehemiah because he was able to motivate 48 people or groups of people to complete this job. Surely he set the record for team work! But true to his humility—an essential quality in all leaders—Nehemiah did not list HIS name in this roll call of workers here in the third chapter. There is a Nehemiah mentioned—but it’s not him—just a worker who had the same name. Here’s the question I want us to deal with this morning. How did Nehemiah compel those 48 people or groups of people to tackle—and accomplish this massive building project? And how can we do something similar? What does it take to motivate a group of people to join in doing God-sized tasks? I want to point to five principles—tactics Nehemiah used.
(1) Tell the workers—tell them WHO they are doing it for.
Do you remember which gate I said they started with? If you forgot look at verse 1 where it says, “Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place.” Now—it was no accident that they started here because this gate was closest to the temple. It provided the people coming to Jerusalem with easy access to God’s house. It was called THE SHEEP GATE because this is where all the sacrificial sheep were brought into the city for use in the Temple. Nehemiah had them START there as a way of reminding everyone that this monumental task was being done for GOD. That’s Who they were working for. Yes—the wall would provide THEM with much-needed protection but first and foremost this was GOD’S wall. Verse 1 says that before continuing on any other part of the wall they had a time of worship—-dedicating their labors to the Lord.
Now—think about this principle with me for a moment. Consider its importance. If you know WHO you’re working for—and if that person is someone you love and want to please—-don’t you work harder? Don’t you work BETTER? Doesn’t that inspire to keep on keeping on—even when the work gets difficult?
Let’s say a dad is returning home from eight months of deployment in Afghanistan. The mom tells their children they need to clean the house and their children complain. They hate cleaning—and they always complain when she says they need to do so. But then the mom adds—we NEED to clean it today because DAD is coming home tomorrow. If you were one of those children who hadn’t seen their dad in all that time—wouldn’t you forget your complaints and EAGERLY get to work? Sure you would! You’d dust every piece of furniture and vacuum every square inch—and then make a banner to hang welcoming dad home to boot. Knowing WHO we are working for can be a powerful motivation. We see the fruits of this principle in the magnificent churches around the world—like this one. The builders knew they were not just laying bricks. They were building cathedrals! They were building FOR GOD!
Here’s another thing I want you to note. By having the Hebrews begin with this gate—the Sheep Gate—Nehemiah was reminding them that their relationship with God was central not just to the wall but to their everyday lives. Sadly one of the reasons our nation has not “built” more things of eternal significance these days is because more and more people have forgotten this principle.
Far fewer people put God first. They have forgotten their Creator. I had an e-mail conversation with a man this past week who had visited our website—and he lamented how the fact that people leave God out of everything these days is evidenced in the way Sunday is no longer a cultural day of worship. Businesses are as busy on Sunday as they are on any other day. Sporting events are held during the hour of worship—a time that used to be set aside to acknowledge God.
Here’s another indication of this sad truth about our culture. This week I read that Google has digitized 30 million different books going back as far as 1800. Well, according to author Christian Rudder, “This body of data has created a new field of quantitative cultural studies called ‘culturomics.’ Its primary method of study is to track CHANGES in WORD USE through time. The long reach of the data allows an unusual look at people and what’s important to them.” For example, the study shows that the word ‘ice cream’ took off in the 1910’s—right when GE introduced the powered home icebox, while the word ‘pasta’ nosedived in rate of use in the late 1990s when the Adkins diet became popular. Well, Rudder also notes that this new “science” shows that the word “GOD” has been in steady decline for decades—and is now used only about a third as much as it was in the early 1800’s. Apparently people don’t think of God as much as they used to. He’s not as CENTRAL as He once was in people’s minds.
Listen friends—God must come first. Whatever we do we must do it for God. His will must come first in all our relationships—in all our labors. This is why a wedding is a not just a service but a WORSHIP service. Bride and Groom are saying that they will put God first in their marriage. This is why when children are born we dedicate the way we raise them to God. We are saying He will come first in our parenting. We’re raising our little ones FOR GOD. This is one reason we worship on the FIRST day of the week—to dedicate the week to come to God. It’s a way of saying we are WORKING for Him…LIVING for Him. This is why the first check we should write on pay day is our tithe check as a way of dedicating all our income to God. Whatever we do in life—should be done for God. As Paul puts it in 2nd Corinthians 5:9, “…our goal must be to please God in all things…” And as 1st Corinthians 10:31 puts it: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” To tackle any project great or small—our motivation must be that this is for GOD. Here’s a second principle Nehemiah advocates.
(2) Tell the workers WHY they are doing the job.
I mean, give them the BIG PICTURE. This is the rationale behind our annual VISION sermons—to help each of you step back look at the year that is to come in a way that helps you understand WHY we are doing this and that—why we are filling our calendars with such and such projects and ministries. You see KNOWING WHY—catching the VISION—is a way of stirring people’s passion to be involved.
It’s kind of like Sue’s announcement last week of the community yard sale we are doing July 11. She told you all the work that would be required—
- Go through your houses and garages finding good things to sell.
- Come ready to man your own table—pricing and selling your things.
- Donate all your proceeds to the church for our thrift shop start up fund.
- Cleanup after yourselves and take what you don’t sell back home.
At this point everyone is thinking WHY DO THIS BIG JOB ON A PRECIOUS SATURDAY? WHY ALL THIS WORK? Who wants to clean out a garage! That’s as much fun as a root canal!
But then Sue gave you the big picture. She told you WHY to do all this.
- She said this yard sale would give us a chance to get to know some of our neighbors who may not know Jesus.
- We could tell the people who come about our church and all it offers to them and their families.
- PLUS—the funds would help start a thrift shop where the proceeds would go to missions both here and abroad for many years to come.
I don’t know about you but at that point I was getting excited about the work. I was ready to join in.
Well, all good leaders give the BIG PICTURE at the beginning of a job—and Nehemiah is no exception. He wisely built his team around a central rallying point. He pointed them to the purpose of the work—and as I said it was for the glory of God. This was important for the workers because they were bummed about the conditions of the city and disgraced in the presence of their enemies. It was difficult for them to sing out the truth of Psalm 48:2, which describes Jerusalem as “beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth.” They longed for God’s city to regain its splendor—and for God to get the credit. Nehemiah knew this and gave them the BIG PICTURE of Jerusalem being this way AGAIN—as a way of motivating them to pick up a brick and get to work.
Listen, when we built the ROC—all $4 million dollars’ worth—we weren’t just building a gym—no the big picture is we were building a tool of evangelism—a way for us and many generations of Redlanders to come to tell more people about Jesus. When you prepare to teach a class in RBC CAMP—you are not just providing childcare for moms who like to get their kids out of the house in the summer. You’re teaching children about the Bible—about God’s love—about the abundant life that awaits all people who put their faith in Jesus. You’re making it possible for people like Bobby Cook and Peggy Peek to become Christians—and every year we have 4 or five kids who do just that. Think of the potential kingdom impact of all those new believers—not to mention the hundreds of others who already know Jesus but learn more about Him in our camp. Doesn’t that stir your passion to be involved? Doesn’t it make you want to join in the work of RBC camp this summer?
When you help serve our Wednesday night meals you are not just cooking and clearing tables you are making it possible for our fellowship to become stronger. You’re developing friendships. You’re making this particular body of Christ STRONGER so it can better reflect our HEAD—JESUS—in our relationships. When you sing in a choir or beat on some drums or play the piano or strum a guitar you’re not just making music—you’re helping people to experience the presence of almighty God Himself. Do you get my point? Does that motivate you to get more involved? Giving people the BIG PICTURE is a BIG HELP when it comes to motivation.
(3) Here’s the third principle. Tell them WHAT they are to do.
In other words give everyone a specific job. Nehemiah records that pretty much everyone worked and because of that it was a very diverse crew.
- The priests rolled up their sleeves and worked.
- Men of Jericho travelled to Jerusalem to help—even though it wasn’t their home city.
- Guild members like goldsmiths and perfume makers worked.
- City officials worked, women, bachelors, temple servants, families, city guards, merchants.
Everyone was given a job. Now—here’s some things to remember when it comes to labor division:
a. First, make the jobs you give out doable.
Nehemiah knew that if he just told the people to get going building the entire 2.5 miles of wall they would soon quit. It would be too daunting of a job. So he divided into sections—making it manageable—giving each person or group a specific portion of the wall. In addition to making it more doable this generated pride. People would be able to tell their grand-children, “I built THIS portion of the wall!”
b. Second, understand that in spite of your best efforts, some will not work. Some will not catch the vision.
I can’t help but think of the guy who said, “I like work — it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.” In every group tackling a tough job there will be those who just sit on the sidelines. This is seen even in the church. D. L. Moody once said, “A great many people have got a false idea about the church. They have got an idea that the church is a place to rest in to get into a nicely cushioned pew, and contribute to the charities, listen to the minister, and do their share to keep the church out of bankruptcy, is all they want. The idea of work for them—actual work in the church—ever enters their minds.” The sad fact is there will always be those who refuse to take part—refuse to exert themselves. We see this in verse 5 where it says, “The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.”
These nobles had their noses too high in the air to submit themselves to supervisors who were culturally “beneath them.” I mean, their servants could have been their bosses in the wall building and that just could not happen so they went home and sat in their Jacuzzis. There are always people who will not get their hands dirty. We have to accept that and move on. And—don’t waste your time being angry with them. In fact, instead of anger—pity them because they are the ones who are missing out. There is nothing more rewarding than being involved in kingdom work.
c. And then third—on the flip side, some will do more than their share.
Verse 5 says that the men from Tekoa did their section even though the nobles wouldn’t. But then drop down to 27 where it says, “Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section.” Refusing to follow the bad example of their leaders, these guys went the extra mile.
I picture them coming up to Nehemiah and telling him that they finished their assigned job and asking if they can do another section. Nehemiah must have said, “Can you do another section? Is man born for trouble? Do sparks fly upward? Do bears sleep in the woods? SURE! Knock yourself out.” and they did.
But these Tekoans weren’t the only extra milers. Verse 20 says that Baruch son of Zabbai did this too—finished his part and then repaired another section. Let me share a secret with you—Pastors LOVE extra-mile members—Christians who go not just he first mile of obligation but the second and third and fourth mile of opportunity. We rise up and call that kind of Christian “BLESSED!”
This kind of “extra mile passion” is a wonderful thing to see in a church. Jesus challenges us to it in Matthew 5:47 when He says, “Brothers and sisters what are you doing more than others.” And with these words Jesus is not seeking to OVERBURDEN us but to OVER-BLESS us because working in the kingdom is a blessing and what’s better than one blessing—ANOTHER blessing!
d. Here’s a fourth thing to remember when it comes to labor division. Make the job you give a person fit their passion.
This is seen in Nehemiah’s giving families the job to repair the wall nearest their home—and the priests repairing the wall nearest the temple. That kind of ownership—that kind of matching worker to a place on the wall that was dear to them—that fueled their passion.
Another thing that fuels people’s passion for work is giving them jobs that line up with their giftedness. When this happens people get excited because they realize they are doing things they were born to do—and that is incredibly fulfilling. This week I read about a 11-year-old boy named Anson Hui. Here’s his picture. At the age of three, Anson was diagnosed with Glycogen Storage Disease (GSD), meaning his body can’t break down or store sugars. Because of this he requires frequent daytime feedings (drinking raw cornstarch), and nighttime feedings through a pump that hooks into a surgically implanted tube to his stomach. At the age of five, he experienced developmental delays that doctors feared were connected to autism. At that point in his life, he couldn’t speak sentences with more than three syllables. He also became a target for school-yard bullies. It is no wonder that Anson often asked, “Why did God put me here?” However, Anson also discovered that he had a special GIFT. He said, “While everyone else was busy talking, I listened and listened. I listened to all the SOUNDS around me.” Well, his listening skills helped him develop another GIFT—perfect or absolute pitch. Anson discovered that he could memorize and then master complex piano pieces (such as Mozart’s Concerto in D Minor) with astounding speed and proficiency. Anson has won numerous awards and even performed in Carnegie Hall. And better than that, Anson’s trials and his gifts have led him to declare his deep faith in the living God. He says,“I can’t decide many things that God has already planned, but I can still choose to work on my dream because I still have workable hands and a body to do it. I believe every single life is unique and special. Each has its own mission and purpose.” About a year ago he received more difficult news. An MRI revealed a benign tumor around his liver, which could lead to a liver transplant, a tricky procedure for any GSD patient. But once again, Anson finds solace in God’s faithfulness. In a recent interview Anson said, “I know [there’s] always a reason for God to give me a special body and talent. My dream is to be a tool of God—so in the end, I can hand in a beautiful [report] to my Lord in Heaven with honor. And the most important thing is—I will never regret this journey on earth.” Isn’t that awesome?! There is no greater joy that using your God-given talents to do the good work that God prepared in advance for you to do. All work is a blessing—but there is a special “addictive joy” in work that matches your unique giftedness.
Well, let me just stop and ask. Have you experienced that addictive joy? Are you serving at Redland? Are you doing your part? Are you using the gifts and talents God gave you?
Okay to review. Nehemiah was able to motivate the people of Jerusalem—and its surrounding areas to rebuild the wall by:
- Telling them WHO they were working for.
- Telling them WHY they were working.
- Telling them WHAT to do—giving each of them a specific job.
(4) And then his forth motivational tool was to tell them HOW they were to do it.
This wall job was not to be a solo deal. Maybe he said, “Listen guys, before we start you need to remember there is no ‘I’ in ‘wall.’ This wall will not be built by individuals—it will be built as we work as a TEAM.” We need to remember this principle because there is nothing like team work. People working together can accomplish far more than a bunch of solo artists. I remember back in my youth ministry days to illustrate this principle we’d have a large youth—the larger the better—lie on his back on the floor. Then we’d have six youth—no matter how small—kneel beside the person—three on each side. Each kneeler would insert one finger from each hand under the person on the floor and on the count of three lift together. That huge teen would rise every time—because people working together as a unified team can accomplish amazing things. Don’t try this at home—it’s meant to be done only under youth ministry supervision—but it works!
Team power like this is an incredible motivational force. Once people see the power of TEAM WORK—well there is no stopping them. Nehemiah tells us in this third chapter that the work of rebuilding that wall was accomplished SHOULDER to SHOULDER. If you wade through the entire text you’ll see the phrase, “next to them” over and over and over again. These people were a unified TEAM. There were no gaps in workers. It was like when policemen and firemen and volunteers link hands to walk across a field to try and find a lost child. There is a special joy to be a part of a team—doing something together.
This guy, Matthew Eldridge, has appeared in numerous high-profile movies, but you’ll never see his face or hear his voice. That’s because Eldridge serves as a “body double.” Recently, for instance, his hands, feet, and body were used as stand-ins for the actor Jason Bateman in the film Identity Thief. But Eldridge doesn’t mind that Batemen gets the attention and fame. Here’s how Eldridge explained how he sees his role: “Bateman has become a household name, growing up a child star and moving on to lead roles in Arrested Development, Juno, Horrible Bosses, and others, but you’ve certainly never heard of me, Matthew Eldridge, though you may have seen my hands on screen. How many of us know the names of anyone behind the scenes in Hollywood? The directors or the directors of photography? Camera men? Great films rely not just on acting talent, but a TEAM of talented individuals who work in lighting, gaffing, sound, special effects, painting, props, and so on. And that’s just production. While close to 100 crew members tirelessly work 15 hours a day so Jason Bateman can shine, they have an understanding that their work will be underappreciated and likely go unnoticed by those watching the show. But they do it anyway. Why? Because they love being a part of the creation process. There’s something magical about creating something collectively larger than ourselves.”
And listen—that “magical feeling” Eldridge is describing when a team of people make a Jason Bateman film is NOTHING compared to what the team called “the local church” can do. Local churches—motivated by the knowledge that they are working for GOD—building HIS eternal kingdom—serving as HIS hands—helping prepare people for eternity—combining their unique gifts and talents have done AMAZING things. I mean there is nothing like “TEAM CHURCH.” They are the first to arrive at disaster sites and the last to leave. They send people to help with the devastation caused by earthquakes, Tsunamis, Ebola, starvation—and the world’s most devastating disease: SIN. They don’t just build beautiful cathedrals. They build a LIVING CHURCH that has grown and grown down through the millennia to include people from every tongue and nation. When a LOCAL CHURCH gets this—when they act as a TEAM with Jesus as COACH—their community sees not just a bunch of sinful humans—they see JESUS Himself and are drawn to Him. There is nothing like TEAM CHURCH!
(4) Here’s Nehemiah’s final tip. THANK the workers for WHAT they have done.
As I have said, the reason this chapter seems so dry is that Nehemiah mentioned the workers by name over and over and over again. And this may be dry—but it’s important. This reminds us that when people excel at their work, wise leaders let them know. According to a survey that appeared in USA TODAY in 2003 the number one reason people leave their job is not for a lack of money but for a lack of appreciation. Recognition of achievement BUILDS motivation for future work. It makes people want to be a part of the next big job. I thought at this point that I would do some of that recognition myself—but I would certainly leave someone out—and even a partial listing of all the amazing workers here at Redland would greatly lengthen our service.
Suffice it to say that your labors do not go unnoticed. I am SO THANKFUL for you all. But here’s what I’d like you to do. After this service, go to someone whose labor here at Redland you appreciate. It could be your deacon, your SS teacher, your child’s SS teacher, a youth worker, an usher, a staff member—a friend who encouraged you or prayed for you and THANK THEM for the work they do as part of “TEAM REDLAND.”