2020 VISION
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Message from NACFM President Gary Robinson

As the National Association of Church Facility Managers celebrates its 25th anniversary, I think the theme for this year’s conference in Chicago is very appropriate. Looking to the future, I cannot help but think about how the NACFM started. As 1995 began, there were no organizations that served CFMs (Church Facility Managers). While IFMA (International Association of Facility Managers) was around, they are geared toward corporate entities with corporate budgets. I chuckle at the thought of corporate facility managers navigating through the world of elders, deacons, and committees made up of laypeople. If you were a new CFM and had a question, who did you call? It would be another three years before you could even ask Google a question. As a new facility manager in 2000, I didn’t even know what I didn’t know. There were glaring gaps between my past experience and my new responsibilities. Then a vision was born…

vi·sion·ar·y
/ˈviZHəˌnerē/
adjective
1. (especially of a person) thinking about or planning the future with imagination or wisdom.

In June of 1995, nineteen Church Facility Managers gathered in Copper Mountain, Colorado for the first conference. They approved a set of bylaws and the NACFM was born. These visionaries saw a need. They saw a void. Through prayer, planning, and sweat, they met the need and filled the void.

What were they thinking? Were they just delusional? What had they been smoking? (They were in Colorado!)

When I think about starting a national organization from scratch, my head starts spinning. Where do you start? How do you reach potential members? What do you have to offer them? What will your mission be? When will you meet? Where will you meet? Who will run it? How will it be governed? In the beginning, there were a lot more questions than answers. The answers came from prayers, persistence, and faith.

Now, fast forward five years. I joined the NACFM in October 2000. I had no idea the organization was that young. By this time it was an established national entity with hundreds of members. The web site was up and running. The certification process was in place. The forum was available. I admit, I wore the forum out my first two years. It seemed like a “professionally” run organization that had been around forever. I was the beneficiary of the blood, sweat, and tears of those that had gone before me.

It is easy to take what others have accomplished for granted. We do it every day. We have all crossed bridges we did not build. We have all drank from wells we did not dig. We do those things every day without thinking of the planning and labor it took to provide them. I feel privileged to have known many of the men and women that played pivotal roles in making the NACFM what we have today.

From the very beginning, the NACFM was meant to include our families in our conferences. At that first conference, thirteen wives accompanied the nineteen charter members to Copper Mountain, Colorado. I have enjoyed watching the children of fellow members grow up. How many associations can say that?

This anniversary is a milestone in the life of this association. Milestones were important to the early followers of our Lord. In 1 Samuel 7:12, Samuel raised a monument and called it Ebenezer meaning “thus far has the Lord helped us.” Joshua in chapter 4 built a milestone monument of twelve stones to commemorate the crossing of the Jordan River. These milestones were placed so that future generations would know what the Lord had done. And so it is with the NACFM. None of this would have been possible without God’s provision. With God leading the way, our founders' faithfulness and obedience led to what we enjoy today. Milestones are not the end of a journey, but rather markers along the way. Now, twenty-five years later, I ask each of you to think about what the NACFM means to you. Think of the benefits you and your church have received from the vision of a few Church Facility Managers.

Blessings My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Gary Robinson
NACFM President

Understanding Defrost Cycle

During winter months many heat pumps will need to go through a “defrost” cycle during operation. Often this has not been explained well before installation, which leads to a lot of confusion about why the heat pump is not working. This document is provided to help users understand the defrosting cycle and address any concerns.

What is a “defrost cycle”?

In heating mode a heat pump extracts heat from the outside air and transfers it inside your premises to warm it. When the ambient temperature outside gets very cold (close to 0°C or below) the moisture in the air freezes on the outdoor unit’s heat exchanger as the fan blows the air across it. A defrost cycle is simply the system recognizing that ice has formed or begun to form and automatically fixing this.

Why does my unit have to do a defrost cycle?

READ MORE

Get more details on our 2020 conference here.

A Pernicious Loop
. . . he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything - Acts 17:25

There are few more powerful (and potentially harmful) forces at work in the lives of men than the When/Then lie. It goes like this: when we get that job, that promotion, that house, that “number” in the bank account . . . then everything will be great. Things will settle down then. We’ll have peace and joy and security then. The lie wouldn't be so bad, but for the behavior we rationalize and excuse with it, hoping it is true: neglecting people we’re meant to love; disregarding people we’re meant to serve; ignoring people we’re meant to rescue; treating badly and taking advantage of people we are meant to encourage and support.

Our enemy, the “father of lies” (John 8:44), created a clever one with the When/Then lie—it’s an infinite loop. You see, whatever “something” follows When is never as good as we think it’ll be. And so, any given “something,” when it’s achieved, is quickly replaced by a bigger, better one.

There’s freedom available to us, though—freedom to enjoy the abundant blessings we’ve already been given; freedom to access true peace and true joy and true security, right now—if we’re willing to reject the lie and, instead, embrace the promises of our King, Jesus Christ. He’s promised that our Father God will provide everything we need in any given moment (Matthew 6:25-34). His provision just might not look how we think or hope it will (Isaiah 55:8).

Okay, so what do we do?
Write down the When/Then lies you’ve believed. Be specific with both the Whens and the Thens. Now, with fellow believers in community or directly to God, pray against any power they’ve held over your life. Then, pray in the opposite: declare your gratitude for how God’s provided for you already—and for how he always will.

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 See you in Chicago June 15-18, 2020.