Church is not a Building
I wonder if we made a mistake every time we said, “We’re going to church.” It's almost as if we thought church was a destination or a goal. We surely have located church in a building. Scripturally speaking, Jesus envisioned the church to be anything BUT a building when he told Peter, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it,” in Matthew 16:18. Jesus envisioned a movement, a web of relationships that served a purpose, a vessel of grace and salvation.
As I talk to you on the phone, many have asked me, “When is the church going to open back up?” I think I need to change my response. So far, I’ve responded that I need to feel like we can be ready and can create a safe space for all who come before we can open. Maybe I should respond, “Actually, the church never closed — only the building closed.” Others have asked, “Are we having services yet?” I have responded, “Yes, we worship every Sunday morning at 11:00 am…online.”
I know it’s not the same as our experience of church before the pandemic, but I also know that God is not limited to the sanctuary, or to a building at all. In fact, some of God’s best work happens beyond the walls of our building. Our church (not our building) experienced a miracle recently. We began a partnership with Care Portal a few years ago thanks to the leadership and vision of Kay Leslie. This is simply a network of relationships between DHS caseworkers who are serving foster families and churches who want to provide for needs. Many of you have agreed to be on the email list Kay uses to put these requests in front of us, offering you a chance to help where you feel led. If you want to join this effort, email Kay Leslie.
Through Care Portal, we learned of a family that was on the edge of homelessness. A parent had just gotten a job as a nurse, but wouldn’t receive the first paycheck for 30 days. Utilities were on the edge of termination. Rent was behind. Our contacts at DHS noted that this was truly an emergency and that they really felt this family was worth a significant investment of our time, prayer and resources. Kay reached out with this information. We joined several other churches to support this family. We received food donations to help stock their fridge through another church’s relationship with the Eastern Oklahoma Food Bank. We used your donations to our crisis response fund to supply financial help. I can’t give you all the details because confidentiality is important, but church — you made a real difference for this family. It wasn’t the building that made a difference. It was the relationships and commitment to our common purpose that made a difference.
Each week, we are making incremental progress toward opening our building. I want to offer a word of thanks to the Sunday School classes who’ve been back in the building each Sunday during July. Not all the classes are ready to meet in person and that is understandable. Right now, there are four meeting each week in the building. We have them spread throughout the facility to create a safer environment. For the last few weeks, some from the classes have chosen to be in the sanctuary while we are filming what we send out on our livestream. They have helped us make dramatic improvements. We are hopeful that by the end of this month we will be able to open the building to others who might want to be here in person. At this point, it seems we’ll have to take reservations to make sure we keep our numbers within the limits that allow for proper social distancing. And, yes, we’ll continue to require face masks. We are trying out different ways of in person gathering so we’ll be able to offer an authentic experience of community and fellowship when we do open our building. In all of this, the church is not closed. On the contrary, the church — your church — is actually as active as we have ever been in reaching out and making a difference for Jesus Christ.
This weekend, we’re offering three opportunities for gathering. Tonight is Trivia Night and it’s not too late to sign up. After signing up, Jonathon Garrett will send you the link to the Zoom room before it’s time to begin Trivia Night. We heard your feedback about technical difficulties from our last online trivia gatherings, so expect an improved experience. Tomorrow night, we’ll host a parking lot movie. Join us at 8:30 pm on the north side of the church. When you arrive, bring bottled water and personal size sunscreen. We’ll be sharing your donations with the Day Center, Restore Hope and the Coffee Bunker. Sunday night, we’ll gather for an outdoor, youth-led worship service at 8:00 pm. Join our youth as they lead us in prayer and praise. We’ll recognize our confirmands and graduating high school seniors. Faith, I hope you can join us for at least one of these special times of gathering and celebration.
Finally, I wanted to send you a link to the Upper Room’s resources for spiritual wellness during COVID-19. This week, I learned that they are also making available a downloadable pdf of the July/August edition of the Upper Room devotional to churches who have a standing order. Guess what? We are one of those churches. I hope you’ll use the links above to resource your spiritual life during this season of isolation, challenge, loss and angst. Remember, the church is not a building. The church is a vessel of God’s grace and salvation. Come and drink from the well.
Pastor Charla
