Change Happens! 
MESSAGE FROM NACFM PRESIDENT HOMER CLARK

Change happens constantly. Everything experiences change: the natural world, living creatures, man-made structures, weather, political leadership, landscapes; the list is endless. God's plan is that in this temporal world all things will go from one state of being to another. And, of course, the one thing that never changes is God's love for us. With change coming more quickly than ever, the big question is how we respond to the effects of change be they negative or positive.

And, with change in mind, we recognize that the leadership of the NACFM changes every other July as board officers shift roles. This year we are grateful and a bit sad to see the six-year term of our Executive Director Patrick Hart come to a close. Thank you Patrick for your tireless effort and hard work! Gary Robinson moves into the Executive Director role. With this change, I assume the job of President and Tory Korthuis moves into the position of Vice President. Thanks to all of you for your continued commitment to our organization. And a big thank you to Tory for stepping up to the call of service on the board for the next six years.

The last two years have tested the mantle of the Board of Directors and all of our active membership. Even with the many challenges of the pandemic, new members have come on board as the message and opportunity of the NACFM continues to grow. We thank the Lord for the technology enabling us as facilities professionals to stay connected during long periods of isolation and work disruption. We don't always see the purpose but God's timing is always perfect. His vision for us as individuals as well as a national organization resides in the overarching purpose the Lord has laid out. Timing is never wrong in the Lord's plans. With that I'm reminded of those famous words in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NLT):

¹For everything there is a season,
  a time for every activity under heaven.

²A time to be born and a time to die.
  A time to plant and a time to harvest.

³A time to kill and a time to heal.
  A time to tear down and a time to build up.

⁴A time to cry and a time to laugh.
  A time to grieve and a time to dance.

⁵A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
  A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

⁶A time to search and a time to quit searching.
  A time to keep and a time to throw away.

⁷A time to tear and a time to mend.
  A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

⁸A time to love and a time to hate.
  A time for war and a time for peace.

Evolving out of the chaos of 2020, we already see changes to our programs, the people we serve, and the properties we are entrusted to maintain. As we begin to experience a slow return to normal and see our buildings come alive with people, we can expect changes in the response of our individual systems and infrastructure. Some members report slowly going from zero to 50% over several months allowing for an even-paced recovery. Others are experiencing a continuation of slow progress and a delayed return to something that looks like "normal" while some facilities and their staffs are almost back to full operations. Even with the resumption of full operations, there is considerable pressure due to many requirements of managing a church campus. Supplies and materials, diminished work forces, loss of staff positions and the loss of budget funding add to the chaos of these post-pandemics times.

How do we respond? We pray. We get resourceful. We get creative. And we ask for help from volunteers who step up to the task. We do what we do best as we serve in the way our Lord called us to serve others. Consider what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 (NLT):

[27] Now all of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it. [28] Here is a list of some of the members that God has placed in the body of Christ: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who can get others to work together, those who speak in unknown languages.

Change happens, but, our faith in God, our relationships and our experiences allows us to face change and respond well. The most important of these is our relationship with God. Romans 8:31-32 (NLT)

[31] What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? [32] Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?

Fellowship with peers is very closely related to our relationship with God. It is a huge blessing to be able to call a friend or peer and say, "Help! I'm in over my head!" And, time and time again that fellowship will be there to raise you up and support you through thick and thin.

This year's conference was a great opportunity to celebrate so many good things including positive change. We celebrated fellowship, absorbed professional learning, heard some great speakers, and felt uplifted spiritually and emotionally. What a great time! We can now apply those nuggets of knowledge to improve our facilities and encourage others as we honor the Lord. And, of course, the conference gave us the opportunities to make new friendships, renew old ones, and give some serious thought to the calling we have received to serve and minister through our work. As Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 so clearly states, there is a time for all things as God encourages us all toward the purpose and ministry set before us. We are not victims of chance but are children of the Lord enjoying his ever-present vision for our lives, even in seasons of great change.

Blessings on you all! It's an honor and a privilege to serve together in the NACFM.  

Homer Clark 
NACFM President

The 2021 NACFM National Conference took place June 21-24 in Arlington Heights, IL at The Orchard Evangelical Free Church. We are grateful to our host Frank Pollina for all of his hard work to make this a great event. Excellent attendance, fantastic speakers, spiritual renewal and wonderful fellowship are only a few of the reasons that this year’s conference was a huge success! Attendees lived out our conference theme of being “On a Mission From God.”

We kicked off the conference with guest speaker and decorated soldier Jeff Struecker.

Thank you to our excellent conference speakers that gave us knowledge, and inspiration to advance our career.

We built on our faith in fellowship with our peers – we shared in song, scripture and prayer. 

Another great Exhibit Hall at this year's conference! Thank you to all the wonderful exhibitors!

What a treat to take in a game at Wrigley Field for family night!

What a blessing to celebrate our 25th conference together at the closing banquet where we celebrated 8 new CCFMs, member anniversaries and great entertainment by The Blues Brothers.

Featured Member:
Jon Mitchell - Reston Bible Church, Dulles, VA 

To say that Jon Mitchell has had an interesting life would be an understatement. His professional involvements have ranged from professional musician to his current work as a facilities manager. The Lord brought Jon to facilities management twelve years ago. On his first day as an FM, Jon's predecessor had him sign up for NACFM membership.