Church A:
Has a small and mostly elderly congregation, they are faithful and committed and they long to see something happen but they fear they may have to close their building and join with another church nearby. Every week day their school room is used by a Dance School, the Dance School have put in a new floor and helped with the cost of re-wiring the building.
The building itself is in need of some repair but there is a reasonable kitchen, and room for new toilet facilities to be installed. The sanctuary area has wonderful acoustics and is large and light, the organ is a good one and it has been well maintained, the seating is traditional dark wood pews. There is a large vestry, and a choir loft.
The dream:
As there is a thriving Anglican Church in the village offering family worship and using a multi-media approach we need to do something different. It would be easy to shut up shop and move down the road to join the Anglican Church, but that would put the Dance School out of business, and they have contributed so much to the church over the last few years....
So I want to dream big; how about an Arts Center, we could take out the pews and purchase more flexible seating, that way the space could be used to exhibit the work of local artists ( and there are a good number), and for concerts or plays. We could convert the existing vestry into a side Chapel, a reflective prayer space that would be open everyday. We could serve coffee and tea to the parents of the Dance School children and also to those coming to view the exhibitions. We could create a smaller worship space with the opportunity to expand it if and when the time came.
We are situated close to major motorways and a railway station so there is easy access to the Chapel, people come to the area for a fine dining restaurant and to travel from a nearby city for a local shopping experience! There is potential for something very special here. Yes we would need to improve access to the main doors by extending the current wheel chair ramp, and there would be a lot of other work to be done, but it is possible... IF we dare to dream!
"Yea, we know that thou rejoicest
o'er each work of thine;
thou didst ears and hands and voices
for thy praise design;
craftsman's art and music's measure
for thy pleasure
all combine."
Church B:
Set in the middle of the village Church B is modern, it has a car-park and a large area of grass at the front and to the side of it. It had been rather run down and neglected, but over the last year a new sign has been installed and some of the issues with the outside facings and paintwork have been tackled. Inside the building is in reasonable shape ( although it needs redecorating), and a new video projection system and screen have been installed. The seating is already flexible and a number of groups use the hall. The congregation is of a reasonable size and they need a vision.
Problems with young people hanging around the building at night and causing damage have caused the congregation to think about fencing off part of the grounds, but there is also a desire to reach out to these young folk and their families.
The dream:
To develop the land which is currently bare and fairly unattractive; to put the fence up creating a safe area for the mums and tots group to go out in the summer months. To provide seating in that area and perhaps to develop a multi sensory area within it using sympathetic and safe shrubs.
Along with this to develop the larger area of land in the front of the building, it is currently used by folk in the summer for lunchtime picnics, but there are no tables or bins and litter is a constant problem, this could be done in conjunction with the local council, and it would mean that we could offer outdoor seating at the coffee mornings in the summer.
In addition to this we could purchase an entertainment license that would allow us to show films and have a weekly film club (the nearest cinema complex is 15 miles away and expense would mean that some local families would find it prohibitive)...
Yes there are risks involved, but this dream is outward focused, and it is possible...IF we dare to dream...
"4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." (Jeremiah 29: 5-7)
I have explored the theme of exile before, and really believe that many churches lack confidence because they find themselves in a strange land, Christendom has gone, and they are faced with uncertainty. That uncertainty can have different effects, we can focus inwards and become more and more depressed and hopeless, or we can dare to hope and to dream, and to believe that God has not finished with us yet. If we take the risk and all comes to nothing at least we have dared to believe, and who knows we may have found new life in ourselves, spirited and free. But if we focus inwards and give up we will die anyway, spiritless and despondent...
We must dare to dream!
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2: 17)
