Before an event at a well-known Kansas City hotel, an attendee — a local attorney — turned to me and said, "Every time I come back here it brings back memories."

I had no idea of what he was talking about until he said, "I lost friends here."

He was reminding me of the Kansas City Tea Dance disaster of 1981. In the hotel where I was overlooking the lobby, a genteel dance turned to catastrophe when an overhanging walkway filled with onlookers collapsed onto another—also packed with spectators — turning a joyous evening into tragedy. That night, 114 people lost their lives and hundreds more were injured.

As I write, I sit exactly where those walkways crashed to the floor.

When people look for answers to a disaster, they often want to place blame. It's understandable. In this case, the blame went to a design flaw. In an effort to make construction easier, a steel company asked for some changes in design which were then — without enough communication — approved by the responsible architectural firm. Construction workers performed their jobs flawlessly; the fault was with those who had oversight. For whatever reason the architectural engineers missed the mark on their primary mission: Safety.

While not held criminally liable, the firm was convicted of gross negligence and lost its license in Missouri and Texas.

Without attempting to be over-dramatic, I'm reminded of the role of a board at a pregnancy care center. It is the board's mission to inspect the ministry carefully and to guide that ministry through its growth and outreach by laying out careful plans for success. Because of a board's wise decisions, the Lord can work through that ministry to save lives.

My question is simple: How seriously do I take my role as a board member? It is not a question to shame or to convict; but is a reminder to all of us — in every aspect of pregnancy care center ministry — of how vital our work actually is. It is life saving.

The question goes to our standards. Are our standards higher than those who design those walkways we take for granted? Is that reflected in my attendance, my desire to do my due diligence to prepare for meet­ings? The prayer — and effort — I put forth in decisions to be made?

Let ours be the board that takes the extra time to fulfill the mission God has for us; and to remain commit­ted to excellence in every area of our responsibilities. By doing this our ministry flourishes, and God re­ceives the glory of a job well done by His servants.

Reprinted by permission from Boards of Excellence, a LifeTrends publication. If you'd like to know more about the resources provided by LifeTrends that can be used to encourage your volunteers, educate your Board and reach your supporters, or if you're looking for a great speaker for your next banquet, contact Kirk Walden at kirk.walden@comcast.net.