Temporary Structures, Eternal Impact

100 cubits by 50 cubits. Acacia wood here. Gold overlay there. All things made “according to the pattern given on the mountain.”

God was exacting in his designs for the tabernacle, his first physical place of worship. This initial structure made it clear that gathering spaces made with faithfulness and care—are essential for the nourishment of his beloved people.

Martin and Rose Leyrer may not have been given architectural measurements from God, but that didn’t stop them from building more than 50 churches and schools in the span of 25 years with Builders for Christ. The work they did was as instrumental to today’s church as the original tabernacle was to the Israelites.

“We did whatever we could do so that the Holy Spirit could do His work,” said Martin. “We didn’t do a thing; it was the Lord’s hand in it all.”

Martin and Rose took on their first project in Houston, Texas in 1994. Having already completed over 30 years in municipal engineering and another 12 managing his own engineering business, Martin was eager to use his vocational background to serve the Kingdom.

“I feel honored that I was able to use the abilities that the Lord gave me. If it brought one person to the Lord, it was all worth it.”

Rose recalled their path to becoming builders as one that felt carefully curated by God. In the course of traveling, they stopped at a church where they encountered two builders, who introduced them to the program; the very next week, at a different church, they ran across a packet of further information; the third week, at yet another church hundreds of miles away, they found an application. They filled it out and dropped it in the first mailbox they saw.

“That’s God having a plan in your life,” she summarized.

What they would experience in the following decades was reminiscent of the early church in Acts. Amongst travels to different congregations and states, working with varied budgets and unique individuals, the common experience was always that of believers being “together…[with] everything in common.”

The couple recalls with fondness the many individuals met along the way: The man from Antigua who read his Bible by flashlight after dark, declining further help because he “needed nothing but his Jesus.” The friends who healed an old rift through a shared goal. The generous souls who gave what they had to support the workers—$100 for lunch passed through a car window, or $15 for new preschool furniture emptied out of a garage sale cash register.

“You look around at the world and you see people fighting and all these other things, but you come to a group like this, and love just generates wherever you go,” says Martin. “Builders is a very wonderful family.”

Martin and Rose, both now in their 90s, maintain that they would still be building if they could. “Hardest thing we ever did was say ‘Gotta quit,’” Martin mused.

The Leyrer’s daughter-in-law Pava revealed the impact Martin and Rose had closer to home, perhaps of equal importance to their efforts abroad. The couple often brought their children and grandchildren to work with them on-site, solidifying memories and inspiring new generations of self-sacrificing service. The stories and photos are already being passed down from there to great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

“The love that they gave people—the kind of love that people remember—that’s a legacy. And that’s what God wants us to leave, right? The right kind of legacy.”

Back in the days of the Old Testament, the building of the tabernacle was led by two men who are rarely recognized: Bezalel and Oholiab. Filled with skills, ability, and knowledge from the Spirit of God himself, they erected a gathering place for God’s chosen people that endured for generations. Though their names are remembered by few, their work lives on in the eternal lives of those who worshiped in that dwelling place.

Martin and Rose Leyrer, too, will be remembered by those whose souls they touched—but, like Bezalel, Oholiab, and all mankind, their names may be lost to time in the end. However, the ripple effect of their generous gifts of time, talent, and faithfulness will have an impact that lasts for eternity. In the greatest sense of the term, that is what it truly means to be a Builder for Christ.

OCTOBER 2024 UPDATE

We are saddened to share that shortly before the publication of this article, Martin passed away at age 94. Up until the very end, Builders for Christ remained an integral part of his worldly time of grace; Rose shared that he planned to be cremated in a BFC shirt. She has also passed on a Builders shirt to each of his grandchildren as a remembrance.

Martin’s dedication to his faith, vocational volunteerism, family, and beyond are an inspiration to those he leaves behind. Until we meet him again in our heavenly home, we remain grateful for the temporary places of refuge he helped build here on earth.