A Sunday Church or An Everyday Church?

I was speaking to a parent of one of our youth leader today. He told me he didn't go to church however he was perfectly comfortable coming into St Andrew's to work with his son on a joint radio programme. As we spoke he said to me. "Yeah this place is different its not a Sunday church this is an everyday church." I was really quite taken to hear him use that phrase about St Andrew's We truly want to be an everyday church that produces and mentors everyday Christians and disciples. Finding ways to connect with people is at the heart of the Gospel and of course the biggest connection of all is when a man or a woman discover the presence of God all around them. The thing is when this happens its "a God incident" its not something we can generate it happens in God's time. I also think it happens when the Church is practicing what it means to be an everyday church. The truth is the church has to be an everyday church because its all about people living their everyday lives. Too often we still think of church as the building as a set of programmesas an organised identity. Church is not really like that at all. I think its a lot more messy than we'd like to believe. Jesus in his parables iis continually surprising people who want things to fall into a neat solution. he tells stories and parables that stretch our ideas of fairness and justice. He tells stories that often put the people who ae on the outside of religion more at the centre of true religion than those who are at the centre of religious organisations. It might even be that some of the organisations and structures and trappings of past religious experience may have to wither on the vine to allow the new branches the new grapes to begin to grow. I'm becoming more convinced that God is working where he has always been working in the hearts and lives of individual people drawing them together by his Spirit to fulful his purposes in the world. Those of us who are used to thinking of church being church in a set way, we need to change if we are going to be part of the church of the 21st century. Look into our building these weeks when the young people are off school and you'd think it was building site. There are just so many bits and pieces lying around the place. I'm ever thankful for our long suffering church cleaner who takes is all in her stride. Its also a parable the people and relationships are there to bring glory to God. the building has to be made to fit round the needs of the people not the people fitting around the building. Now that is our problem. We have an old building no longer fit for an everyday church. So here is the question what does a building being used by an everyday church look like? Do we need one building, do we need many buildings, do we need to use more technology? What is the 21st century church building to look like? let me hear your comments

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Posted By: italker   On: 22 Jun 2010   At: 11:39pm

Helmut

I think there is something special about Sunday for all of us who claim to be resurrection people. In some senses you are right to markSunday out as the rest day and the gathering day I have no real problem with that kind of thinking. However what I’m trying to say is Church when it becomes dynamic knows no boundaries it cannot be contained. It has a ubiquity that comes from Christ our head and King. I also think your right about the technology stuff its great but its only a tool a means to an end. A great tool but we need to have a simplicity about our worship and faith that leads us to being completely happy with stripped back worship. Yeah perhaps at the end of the day all we need are our own voices and our bodies and minds with which to praise God.  Its the heart that counts.  Is that not the meaning and the point of the story of Cain and Abel’s offering?

 

Paul says in Romans 12

 

” Look you guys I’m begging you because of God’s great mercy and love - give him yourself I mean offer your heart and soul to him like an offering a costly one, don’t hold back. Offer   your ‘everyday mundane nothing to write home about life’ You actually owe God that much remember the very air your breathing is actually God’s design. So don’t let the others around you make you think differently. ```Paraphrased by Bogle.``````’

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Posted By: Helmut   On: 22 Jun 2010   At: 8:53pm

Definitely everyday church. When I moved back to the north from Bavaria many years ago, I got rather shellshocked at churches having business hours, Sundays mostly, some other off hours, if it was a historic building. No place to go when in need. We have moved away from that, not far though, in many cases (talking about Germany). We should move towards everyday church, but there must alsways be some Sunday Church. We should not easily sever all links with the past, or we might get stranded - there is so much more past than present. (I know: and much more future…)

It need not be one single building, but should centre round the church proper. I know of one church that had its community centre some three km (two miles) away from the church - a janitorial nightmare, abandoned several years ago.

Technology: You have to buy and maintain it, and we are all trying to be ecological. So what if electricity and internet fail? As much technology as needed, as little as possible. You have gone to far if your event fails completely for lack of working technology. Have books and the black or white board ready, if needed, and acoustic guitars.

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