A city water line break has caused temporary lane shutdowns at our church intersection of Hardscrabble & Clemson. Please note: this is NOT part of the road-widening stages. Thankfully, the water at the church has not yet been affected. We have been in contact with DOT officials, who have shared that one of the Hardscrabble lanes must remain closed until the City of Columbia is able to complete repairs. Depending on various factors, this could possibly take 2-4 weeks (but hopefully less). For those who normally travel through the Clemson intersection to get to Living Springs, here are some options:
GETTING TO LIVING SPRINGS:
To access the church from north, east or west, we will need to get onto Hardscrabble Rd. from N. Brickyard Rd., Sloan Rd., or Farrow Rd., thus approaching the church from the south and turning right into our entrance. *Possible Alternate: from Clemson Rd., you may be able to turn into the Hope Baptist Church Drive (across from Wendy’s), which has a back connection to the Dunbar Funeral Home driveway exiting onto Hardscrabble (across from the church).
LEAVING LIVING SPRINGS:
The northbound lane of Hardscrabble remains open, so you can still leave the church and travel outbound through the Clemson intersection (or turn left and go south on Hardscrabble).
WEEKDAY AFTERNOONS:
If you are traveling to church on weekdays from 4:00 – 6:30, please allow extra time for a longer traffic line coming up Hardscrabble to the church entrance. Thankfully, Sundays and weekday mornings are usually not affected with heavy traffic in this direction.
SOME HELPFUL FAITH PERSPECTIVES!
1) As with other things, we pray for the Spirit’s strength to help us resist any temptation to find “excuses” to neglect our life of worship, ministry involvement, and discipleship. There have been heart-breaking photos of people fighting through floods and hurricane/earthquake damage to still come together and worship the Lord. In comparison, traffic & road detours here in NE Columbia are minor inconveniences.
2) Think about someone who could use a ride, or might be especially challenged by different traffic patterns. Offer to carpool. Use this as an opportunity to offer support for another member of our LS family.
3) Let this be a time for the light of Christ to shine through you! Be polite and courteous to those stressed out by delays. Roll down the window and say thank-you to utility workers. Give an extra smile to others waiting in traffic. Use extra time sitting in traffic to connect with God amidst a hectic day, to pray for others, to reflect more on the Scriptures from Sunday worship or your daily devotion, to have some deeper faith discussions with your children/spouse (don’t forget our FAITH5!).