“Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” —Galatians 6:9

Last Thursday, we focused on the dream and the vision. Today, I’ll show how I transformed my vision of a church library into a reality.

Treat the execution of your vision as a process.

 1. Get Permissions.

I invited the Director of Education to my home. After serving her lunch, I sat her in an armchair in my library (a prior dream come true). Then using visuals, I presented my vision to replace our tiny, archaic church library with a larger, modern library. She promised to secure the go-ahead and permissions to revamp the abandoned youth room.

I think my success resulted from my preparation and passion.

 2. Do the Research.

• My dream hatched from experiencing a Christian community library. The librarian gave me a tour and answered my questions for months.
• I purchased cataloging reference books and read them.
• My knowledge of Christian publishers helped me populate our shelves with Christian fiction and nonfiction.
• My son suggested an inexpensive, excellent online cataloging service, LibraryThing.
• I learned from long-term church members that hardwood floors lay beneath the soiled carpet.
• The music director told me where to buy inexpensive area rugs.
• My sister had a list of children’s books she maintained from her story time ministries.
•  I gleaned favorite Christian books in various genres from members of a writers’ group who shared such lists on our email loop.

Taking time to listen to people who showed interest in my vision provided my best research.

3. Gather Resources.

• My husband, my best resource, helped remove layers of soiled carpet and refinish the hardwood floors. He built a desk in the closet, creating the library office.
• The adult Sunday school class housed in the room helped us paint the room.
• People inside and outside the church donated books.
• Two like-new armchairs appeared from elsewhere in the church.
• A gentleman who loved carpentry, built 9 bookcases and donated a child’s table.
• The pastor moved reference books in his office to the library for everyone to use.
• The supportive church secretary had a donated computer and Internet access installed in the library office.
• The church’s women’s group bought many new books from my children’s list.
• I sold duplicate donated books to fund new books.

When people saw and heard what I was doing and how I appreciated assistance, they supplied needed resources.

4. Manage the Work.

• When the time to complete your vision seems endless, re-imagine its benefits and do the next thing. The library was useable in less than a year, but my vision took about two years.
• When you hit roadblocks, turn to a different task. While I waited months for the room to become available, I set up in another room and cataloged books.
  

  To donate a children’s book, choose one of these “binders” and purchase the book or place the “binder” and a check in the envelope.

• When you’re overwhelmed, break jobs into tasks. I had stacks of boxes of books to go through and decide what to reject and what to catalog. I applauded each empty box.
• When peoples’ ideas threaten the vision, be tactful. Some wanted to use the comfortable library for meetings and Bible studies. When I explained that would prevent people from browsing and checking out books, the church limited extraneous uses.
• When others’ ideas improve the vision, incorporate them. I reserved a shelf for the women’s reading program books.
• When people help, let them know they matter. Several appreciated people became champions of the library.

I viewed quitting not an option.

5. Bring closure.

• During the process, I wrote a library manual, which I used to train my successors.
• Celebrate. The pastor held a consecration ceremony in our library.

What helped you transform a dream into a reality?

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