Image is everything - or so we are told. That concept was turned on it's head for me over the weekend. On Sunday morning we travelled about an hour north to lead worship at a small corps in Hertfordshire. We arrived really early and found ourselves waiting outside the hall. Well, we thought it was the hall. There wasn't anything which said it was The Salvation Army. the lettering which formerly made up the sign had either been vandalised or just deteriorated. There were only 3 letters left - T E A. At least that summed up what we are famous for, I suppose!
After a few minutes of waiting I began to think we might have the start time wrong. So I went to check the sign on the exterior noticeboard and found it was actually an appeal to help find a missing cat. Having never visited the place before I felt rather discouraged by this downbeat exterior. I even said to Lyn, 'the Army is going down the pan'.
After a while, the officers arrived and we went inside. The place started filling up. By the time we were ready to start the (smallish) hall was pretty much full. And what a great atmosphere - young families and small children mingled with older members of the congregation. The worship was well received - people joined in really nicely. After the meeting we were invited to join in for after meeting 'tea and fellowship'. Guess what, nearly everyone did! They chatted, they laughed and they enjoyed each other's company. I learned the stories of families who had been attracted to the church by the warm welcome and the care of the officer in charge. The 'upbeat' buzz about the place was in complete contrast to the exterior. To me, this was real church!
Being honest, I'd have liked to have seen a nicer exterior and a more welcoming appearance. I would have liked to see the place given a touch of paint and a new sign. But the lesson for me was that church is much more than snazzy posters or fancy slogans. It's about the family of God; Christianity in community. Despite the peeling paint and lack of external SA Shield I'm pretty sure this place will continue to attract new members. If this is what 'going down the pan' looks like in reality - then I hope other corps catch the habit.
1 comment:
We will soon have a very very attractive appearance! Let us keep praying that our personal welcome and accepting nature will be more important than what the building looks like. We saw some beautiful churches in Italy - stunning in fact, but not very welcoming - had to wear shawls to cover up, not allowed to do this and that etc etc....no laughter, talking or sound....I pray that we will have a vibrant, stunning, welcoming Church !
Post a Comment