The Church has Left the Building
One hallmark of church is that we like to meet as evidenced by how often we do it! Our congregational heritage demands that we meet because that is the way to discern what the Holy Spirit is doing. Scripture encourages us to meet- “let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another…” and even provoke one another to love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24-25). Bylaws mandate that we meet as an Association of churches twice a year. Meeting is what we do, except when it snows or when another way is tested.
The title of the program of the Metro Boston Association Spring Meeting was “What Established Churches Can Learn from New Church Starts.” With a date chosen eight months before, and mass rallies as yet unplanned in the imagination of organizers, Association leaders could not have foreseen the ways it would be hard to press on with a meeting. With the People’s Climate Movement organizing a rally mirroring the Climate Action in Washington DC on April 29, there was an opportunity to be responsive to the times and choose not to meet as an Association in a church hall space, but rather on the streets with other like-hearted people concerned about the state of God’s creation. Never mind that one presenter of the program had to pull out and that registration numbers were low. To press on and do business as usual is less and less a faithful response to the times we are living in.
So the Church, in this case the Association, is leaving the building! The Metropolitan Boston Association Spring Meeting will be a meeting on the internet via the Zoom platform. It will last 45 minutes, save gas and paper, still provide us time to encourage and provoke one another to love and good deeds AND give us the chance to BE THE CHURCH on the Boston Common. People are encouraged to join the meeting and join the interfaith worship service already planned by the Interfaith Coalition for Climate Action at Arlington Street Church in Boston.
After all, we love to meet… especially when we can give testimony that the Earth is the Lord’s and all therein!
Peace,
Wendy
One hallmark of church is that we like to meet as evidenced by how often we do it! Our congregational heritage demands that we meet because that is the way to discern what the Holy Spirit is doing. Scripture encourages us to meet- “let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another…” and even provoke one another to love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24-25). Bylaws mandate that we meet as an Association of churches twice a year. Meeting is what we do, except when it snows or when another way is tested.
The title of the program of the Metro Boston Association Spring Meeting was “What Established Churches Can Learn from New Church Starts.” With a date chosen eight months before, and mass rallies as yet unplanned in the imagination of organizers, Association leaders could not have foreseen the ways it would be hard to press on with a meeting. With the People’s Climate Movement organizing a rally mirroring the Climate Action in Washington DC on April 29, there was an opportunity to be responsive to the times and choose not to meet as an Association in a church hall space, but rather on the streets with other like-hearted people concerned about the state of God’s creation. Never mind that one presenter of the program had to pull out and that registration numbers were low. To press on and do business as usual is less and less a faithful response to the times we are living in.
So the Church, in this case the Association, is leaving the building! The Metropolitan Boston Association Spring Meeting will be a meeting on the internet via the Zoom platform. It will last 45 minutes, save gas and paper, still provide us time to encourage and provoke one another to love and good deeds AND give us the chance to BE THE CHURCH on the Boston Common. People are encouraged to join the meeting and join the interfaith worship service already planned by the Interfaith Coalition for Climate Action at Arlington Street Church in Boston.
After all, we love to meet… especially when we can give testimony that the Earth is the Lord’s and all therein!
Peace,
Wendy
