August 2022 News - National Association of Church Facilities Managers

August 2022 NACFM News

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NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHURCH FACILITIES MANAGERS | August 2022

Procrastination: Some Thoughts from the Bible
MESSAGE FROM NACFM PRESIDENT HOMER CLARK

It’s August 1st and we're over one month out from the end of our National Conference! I want to thank everyone who helped pull together this outstanding conference.

First, a big thank you goes to the host church team, Jeff Galasso and Tory Korthuis, who put a ton of work into this conference being the success it was. A job well done Faith Church!

Second, I want to thank the NACFM Board of Directors who labored tirelessly behind the scenes. Over the previous year, they put in many hours (while working full-time jobs!) to pull together all the threads. Thanks so much!

And we can't forget our wonderful speakers who presented the message God wanted us to hear. We appreciate every one of you!

Lastly, but certainly not least, a big vote of gratitude goes out to our members who traveled to Colorado for this great time with friends and family. Hopefully, everyone found spiritual encouragement, professional learning, and some measure of refreshment. Facilities work never stops, so our worries, concerns, and struggles continue even while we're away at a great event like we've experienced. Is it a sacrifice to attend a conference? Yes. Is the sacrifice worth it? A big double YES!

This month let's look at procrastination. How do you deal with procrastination?

In James Clear's book, Atomic Habits, he tells us that, "human beings have been procrastinating for centuries. The problem is so timeless, in fact, that ancient Greek philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle developed a word to describe this type of behavior: Akrasia. Akrasia is the state of acting against your better judgment. It is when you do one thing even though you know you should do something else. Loosely translated, you could say that akrasia is procrastination or a lack of self-control."

Here's a modern definition: Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing a task or set of tasks. So, whether you refer to it as procrastination, akrasia or something else, it's the force that prevents you from following through on what you set out to do. In our careers we have timetables, set completion dates, and schedules for maintenance that force us to complete a task. Sometimes equipment fails and we are pushed/pulled into action because that’s what we do. I tend to struggle with procrastination in the administration side of my job: budget reviews, staff evaluations, and research for new technologies. Even maintenance planning suffers when procrastination hits. I’m sure that many of you, my NACFM brothers and sisters, have been challenged by procrastination.

The Bible talks about the procrastination of Pharaoh when Moses delivered God's message in Exodus 8:1-2 (NLT)

[1] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh once again and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. [2] If you refuse, then listen carefully to this: I will send vast hordes of frogs across your entire land from one border to the other.'"

You know the rest of the story; it cost Pharaoh greatly by procrastinating in releasing God's people.

Proverbs 3:27-28 (NLT) gives us some solid advice.

[27] Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them. [28] If you can help your neighbor now, don't say, 'Come back tomorrow, and then I'll help you.'

When healing a blind man, Jesus tells us in John 9:4 (NLT) to get to the task at hand.

[4] All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end.

In Acts 17:32-34 there were three responses to Paul's sermon: First, some rejected (sneered), second, some procrastinated (“We want to hear you again”), and third, some accepted (...became followers of Paul and believed).

Here’s what I do to combat my gravitational pull to put things off.

Ask for a due date. When someone asks me to do something, and they say “whenever," I’ve found whenever on my list doesn’t get done.
Set an appointment in my physical and digital calendars with alarms as a reminder.
Give each task a priority, 1= must be done right now, 2= must be done in the next 24 hours, and 3= close by end of business Friday.
Have a checklist and review it at the end of each workday. Did I get all the number ones completed? Do I have time to get the remainder of the number ones done? Did I get any of the twos or threes finished?
Set up my to-do list for tomorrow.

I would recommend James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits. The content has been a tremendous help improving in those areas where I tend to procrastinate. If you suffer from procrastination and want to talk about it, let me know. We could set up a Zoom call for a small group book study focused on the Atomic Habits book. If I get three or more inquiries, we will set up a date and time to meet.

Finally, plan now to join us for the 2023 National Conference in Sevierville, TN, June 19th - 22nd. Put it on your calendar, budget for it, and present the request to your boss. No time like the present! A great opportunity to not procrastinate! (Big smile)

Blessings to all,

Homer Clark
NACFM President

Featured Member:
Dan Griswold - Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, Gig Harbor, WA

Dan Griswold is the Facilities & Operations Senior Director at Chapel Hill Church. Gig Harbor is located in the beautiful country south of Seattle and a bit north of Tacoma. The 120,000 sq ft church campus covers 35 acres. He has pursued church facilities management as a career for the past 23 years. Before church facilities, he spent 19 years in plant management.

Testing Critical Systems

Church facilities include critical systems that must work correctly when needed. Some systems like fire alarms require an inspection. But many others do not, such as GCFI, CO2 alarm, CO Monitor, flooding sensor, emergency exit lighting, duct safety dampers, backup systems and many more. These components may never be needed but it is critical they work properly. Periodic testing of these systems should be added to your preventative maintenance schedule. Below are resources for maintaining critical systems.

Executive Director Chris Barron will be presenting at the Smart Church Solutions Virtual Conference on September 13th. Register here.

Have you ever thought about serving on the NACFM board? At the 2023 National Conference we will be voting on two positions, Vice President and Secretary. We would like to encourage you to consider how you might use your skills and abilities to serve the members of the NACFM. If you are interested in serving in this capacity and meet the bylaw requirements below, we invite you to reach out to Chris Barron, Executive Director, chair of the nominating committee. (email: cbarron@nacfm.com)

Eligibility Requirements: