Visiting family in Oregon, we went out for dinner and drinks at a local church. At least it used to be. Now it’s a restaurant, bar and club. This week’s column considers the growing trend to transform “sacred spaces” into community places, like concert halls, movie theaters, cafes, clubs and housing. A good thing?
Here’s an excerpt from
“When Churches Become Concert Halls, Clubs and Cafes”
“A church, synagogue, mosque, temple, can be a peaceful place for contemplation, or simply to rest from the busy, noisy world.Some may feel a connection to God, or a higher power; some may feel a connection to others seeking refuge inside; yet others may sense a connection to history, humanity or the natural world inside and out.There are as many reasons to go inside an enclosing, embracing space as there are human beings.So, yes, even atheists can find structures originally intended as “houses of God” tranquil places.”
Read the entire column here this weekend.
Friendly Freethinker 
Sadly, I lament with the bishop in Antwerp, “That is painful. I will not hide it. On the other hand, there is no return to the past possible.” I am a 66 year old member of a small, traditional UMC congregation in Candler. We are doing as much as a bunch of senior citizens can do to keep our building open- a Monday through Friday day care, a Saturday “Breakfast Church” and food pantry hosts about 70, a Tuesday BEAR closet lends and gives anything parents might need for babies, and lastly on Sunday- choir practice and 9:30 worship with around 30 in attendance. Sunday School stopped during COVID. I miss the fellowship of our formerly larger group; my life has been greatly influenced by attending church. But I am puzzled as to how and why some churches seem to be thriving- like the Biltmore Church in the former Bi-Lo building. We are in the process of writing guidelines to open our building to the community- to serve and invite others. But bottom line is always money- as our members pass on will we have the money to keep the building open? I want to be even more creative with our space- so I’m sharing your article at the next council meeting!
I hear you, Jan. Being good “stewards” of a building space, and being open to creative alternatives, makes sense. I’m curious what the council will decide. All the best with the path forward.
The question of how to handle a space /room, once consecrated to a certain religion – but in fact to God – has accompanied mankind throughout the centuries and on all continents. How to handle a pyramid? How to handle a forrest, consecrated to the shinto religion or a mountain consecrated to Tibetan Buddhism? Some of my thoughts: https://federfluesterin.wordpress.com/2017/03/02/disco-statt-muezzin/
Thanks, I’ll take a look. “Consecrated” is certainly a problematic term.