This morning I chatted with the electricians who are finishing up the newly run feeds for the monitors which will be installed in the Bridge St. sanctuary next week. For several months now we have been using a temporary screen and projector for visual display in our worship space. We have met and mused and consulted and discerned about how we could implement modern technology in a very traditional and beautiful space. We projected on various walls and considered the effects of light on sunny days, as well as giving attention to aesthetics. We ended up with very different conclusions from our starting point. We will use two large monitors on each side of the sanctuary for a total of four, with a fifth for the choir. It has taken far longer than we anticipated, but here's hoping and praying this is the best choice for us.
I know I was called to Bridge St. United Church nine months ago with a mandate to be respectful of the traditions of this historic congregation (two hundredth anniversary in 2015) but not so respectful that we don't live in the 21st century. As a result it seems that a thousand conversations are going on simultaneously.
How do we make more effective use of our labyrinth-like building, including the chapel?
How can we become more visible in the community, sharing the good news of our ministries?
How do we invite others into involvement in our active meal ministries?
Is it possible to develop a more relational and missional approach to our life together?
Do we spend money here, when it could also be spent there?
Are we adequately staffed for vitality rather than decline?
And on and on.
These conversations all need to happen, and to become more than conversations. The question always is, what does God want us to do in this place and time? Honestly, there are times when it seems overwhelming for all of us, but the willingness of the congregation to engage in this Godly enterprise sure beats meekly succumbing to the demographics and quietly making an exit from the heart of this community.
We have decided that God's living Spirit, Christ's living Spirit, can be at work and is at work. I like the image above because it is flowing and dynamic and sketch-like, as though there might be more to come.
This could apply to many congregations today. Any thoughts about this, as Bridge St. members and others involved in Christian communities elsewhere?
1 comment:
Every congregation needs to be open to the Spirit for direction - but sometimes we need help in discerning what the Spirit is saying to us - and even in openly acknowledging and talking about that Spirit, and the necessity for that Holy Presence; without that conversation, we surely will meekly close up shop !
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