Dear Ace: Effort Baptist Church in Fluvanna County has just painted their chapel bright purple with green trim. Is anyone in the neighborhood as upset as I am? Why did they do it?—Blinded By the Light
Dear Blinded: This is not the first time Ace has dealt with a bad paint job. Ace’s neighbor once decided that schoolhouse red was out and neon Carolina blue was in. Five years later and still only halfway done, Ace’s neighbor has the snazziest clashing two-toned house on the block. But Ace digresses…
To crack your mystery, Blinded, Ace grabbed his extra-strength sunglasses, and set out to find out about the church’s new paint-by-number look. The freshly painted building—which is actually orange with purple and green trim—is the first step of a grand plan at the church. Effort’s pastor David Clay explained that with the recent completion of an 18,000-square-foot family- life center, the church’s leadership has turned its attention to establishing an area for its preschoolers and children.
Dubbed the “Kidzone” by the church, the Technicolor building provides space for large worship groups and Bible study. It also serves as a children’s theater. Years before it got its new look, the building, erected around 1875, was Effort’s original chapel. Trust Ace, back then it didn’t resemble a FedEx truck.
“We’ve had both positive and negative feedback,” Pastor Clay tells Ace. “Once people know it’s a church for children they understand what’s going on.” That discrepancy should be remedied by the display of a fresh “Kidzone” sign. “The color is a little strange, but it’s a children’s theme, and we want to create a place that children will love.”
Mama Atkins always told Ace that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, and while you may behold a gaudy mess, history says that Effort’s efforts will pay off. The proof lies with another kid-friendly purple and green monstrosity. Ace speaks, of course, of Barney the dinosaur. I love you, you love me, we’re a happy neon-hued family.