During the past few years I have mentioned that my sister-in-law and family attend a congregation that meets in a local movie theatre. There are actually several affiliated congregations meeting in movie houses and the pastor isn't actually there, except on the screen. I think it is a simulcast. They joke that they know it is time to leave on Sunday mornings when they can smell the popcorn from the concession stand. I have brought this up when musing about the folly of having two traditional United Church buildings in Bowmanville within two blocks of one another on the same street. It is an odd holdover from church union in 1925 and in my opinion it just doesn't make sense in 2010. So, why not have one downtown congregation and set up another in a setting such as a movie theatre?
Well, some local Baptists are on this one. A congregation calling itself Gracepoint has set up in the Clarington cinemas after selling their tiny, traditional building in Courtice. They were languishing in an unsuitable building on a busy highway. http://www.durhamregion.com/news/article/163689
Some of the comments by the pastor in a Clarington This Week article made me smile -- are we really (reely) in the entertainment business? But I have met him and know that he is sincere and attempting to be bold in his leadership. We'll see how this flies.
What do you think of this initiative? Folly in itself, or the work of the Holy Spirit. What should this say to us?
I think it's great (now THERE'S a surprise!) It shows great creativity. A word you used strikes me as the most important word and that is 'languishing'. It would seem that if they didn't come up with an alternative there would possibly have been no church left for them. This may not fly but you have to give them points for trying. If this works we can say "why didn't we think of that".... if it doesn't we can say "see, I told you change wouldn't work!"
ReplyDeleteThey could see the writing on the wall, and did something about it. Good for them! God bless.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you both on this one. You're right Lynn that the congregation might have ended up with no one left. Now it will be interesting to see if the Muslim group that bought the church can make a go of it in that location.
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