466. Kitchen is Off-limits
Last Sunday, there was an incident during the KSC shepherds' meeting happening at Richland. A few kids climbed onto the kitchen table and stood on it, and the school caught the scene on CCTV. As the school stressed that the kitchen should not be used for health and sanitary reasons for their students, the school expressed great shock upon witnessing the incident. So they notified us that if any more kitchen-related issues happen again, they will terminate the lease.
The email came to the facility-related point of contact: the facility team leader, the finance team leader, and me. We were all shocked to see the footage, and also regretful that it happened. As it happened, even with the kids' parents present, we realized that preventing this is almost impossible as long as there are kids in the cafeteria. We considered putting up a warning sign and putting some barriers around the kitchen, but it would be impractical to do it every single week, and looking at the video, it became obvious that kids could easily sneak in anytime, even with barriers. So we agreed that we cannot take any more chances and decided to contact KSC leaders to request that they stop using the Richland building for their meetings indefinitely. They were very sorry, and they understood our decision.
Some might feel that it is too strong a measure. But boundaries must become stronger for the things we cannot afford to lose, and we cannot afford to lose our worship space. Richland is close to KSC on Yonge Street, which is important for youth parents, and it also makes it easy for our members to use public transportation. Such a building is rare to find in our area. So we believe this is the best place of worship God has given us for now. We have always cooperated with KSC on building usage, but we realized a stronger boundary is now needed. Exact details of the building usage are in discussion, but what is for sure is that any KSC meetings that involve kids being present in the building won't happen. This will also affect some children's ministry team meetings, as they involve kids and KSC parents, with kids coming to the building as well.
It reminds us of the sobering reality that we can lose what is precious in our lives with a single mistake, and we must be diligent in protecting it. Any time you see a newcomer or a new youth, please remind them that the kitchen is off-limits. But even with this negative news, we can still find what is good about this situation. God makes all things work together for the good of those who love him (Rom 8:28), and that good involves our becoming more like Christ as well, including being good stewards.
