OPEN DOORS. Those who open doors, open hearts. A Resource for Creating Welcoming Churches in the Diocese of Willochra

Transcription

1 OPEN DOORS Those who open doors, open hearts. A Resource for Creating Welcoming Churches in the Diocese of Willochra

2 A Resource of Ministry Development, Formation and Support The Anglican Diocese of Willochra PO Box 96 Gladstone au

3 Rural and Outback Churches Sacred Space, Sacred Hospitality While researching for this workbook, I googled Churches as sacred space in Australia. My heart was warmed to read a list of the ten most significant Christian buildings in Australia. Fifth on the list was the smallest church in Australia, St Nicholas Australind (pictured). The little wooden church is on the grounds of the newer St Nicholas, a multi-purpose centre that was built when I planted the Parish of Australind over twenty years ago. I remember well holding 8am services in the tiny church. In time the congregation grew, making it necessary to move worship to the larger building. However, the tiny church remained as a place of prayer and worship and does so to this day. The church was opened daily from 9am to 5pm. Tourists visited as well as families who had historic ties with the church many weddings, baptisms and funerals had been held there over the years. The beautiful roses that can be seen in the gardens are planted over the ashes of much loved parishioners and their families. People came to view the church, remember its history, honour their ancestors and the pioneers of that area and to mourn and remember their loved ones. Others spent quiet time sitting on the worn benches that once served as pews. Many generous donations were left in the little wooden offering box. A number of our church buildings in the Diocese of Willochra are of great value to the communities around them. They are places of heritage, family history and memories, gathering places for community as well as being places of architectural beauty. In an era of declining church attendance, it is a temptation to close the doors of our buildings and call the real estate agent. In some cases, such action may still be right for the future. However, our first consideration should be How do we use our buildings for the growth of our mission?. Open Doors is a resource to encourage you to open your church buildings to welcome visitors, offer hospitality to people and groups in your community and to create sacred places and houses of prayer. Most importantly, we encourage you to open doors not just to buildings but to hearts. Your church may be the very place where God is waiting to enter the hearts of one of his beloved children. Open Doors may be used as group resource. Please take it to your Mission Support Teams and Ministry Unit Councils. Please share prayer and conversation as you explore how your open doors could open opportunities for mission in your community. St Nicholas Australind reminds me of the value of our buildings as sacred space, repositories of memory, places of hospitality and houses of prayer. There would be many churches small and large - throughout our country that would hold great value and meaning for those who had been a part of their history.

4 Places of Encounter A Blessing for God s House May this house shelter your life. When you come in home here, May all the weight of the world Fall from your shoulders. May your heart be tranquil here, Blessed by peace the world cannot give. May this be a safe place Full of understanding and acceptance, Where you can be as you are, Without the need of any mask Of pretence or image. May this home be a place of discovery, Where the possibilities that sleep In the clay of your soul can emerge To deepen and refine your vision For all that is yet to come to birth. John O'Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us St Marks, Penwortham Conversation n What do these two Scriptures tell us about Encounter with God? Where was God encountered? What was the fruit of the encounter? The places where encounter with God occurs are special, holy places. There are many special places in our world associated with encounter. These are known as places of pilgrimage. WHERE HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED GOD? IS YOUR CHURCH BUILDING A PLACE OF ENCOUNTER FOR YOU OR OTHERS? Exodus 3:3-4 So Moses said, "I must tur rn aside now and see this marvellous sight, why the bush is not burned up." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he sa aid, "Here I am. John 1:38-41 When John 1:38-41 Jesus turned and saw them following, When Jesus he said turned to them, and What saw are them you looking following, for? he said They to said them, to What him, are Rabbi you (which looking translated for? They means said Teacher), to him, Rabbi where are (which you translated staying? He means said Teacher), to them, where Come and are you see. staying? They came He said and to saw them, where Come he was and staying, see. They and came they an remained nd saw where with him he that was day. staying, It was and about they re fo emained our o clock with in him the afternoon. that day. It One was of about the two fo our who o clock heard in John the speak afternoon. and One followed of the two him who was heard Andrew, John Simon speak Peter s and followed brother. him He first was found Andrew, his brother Simon Peter s Simon and brother. said He to him, first We found have his found brother the Simon Messiah and said (which to him, is translated We have found the Messiah (which is translated

5 Places of Hospitality Strangers and neighbours could also encounter God if they felt welcome to enter your church building. OPEN YOUR CHURCH BUILDING Arrange to have your doors open as much as possible (9am -5pm is ideal!). Have an attractive Church Open sign made. Include the word Welcome and place the sign where it can be easily seen. Advertise that you are open on local notice boards, caravan parks and the tourist bureau. Give your address and basic directions to your building. List your opening times. Make sure the exterior of your church looks welcoming. Your notice board should be well presented and easy to read (chalk boards are not!). If you have gardens they should be neat and bushes should be trimmed. A bench for people to sit in the garden always looks welcoming. Have an internal notice board with information for visitors. Service Times, congregational events and contacts for clergy and lay ministers. OFFER HOSPITALITY If you are able, set up a coffee corner. Pod Coffee Machines are ideal Nescafe please, the pods are recyclable. Have a small bar fridge with some milk and even a jar of biscuits. Buy some pretty cups and put a vase of fresh flowers on the table. Have a visitors table with a visitor s book. You may want to put some give-aways on this table Christian bookmarks, flyers, cards with photos of the area. One of our parish churches even gives away bibles. PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS Your building and its contents are covered by insurance. If you are concerned about items such as brassware and silver plate, make sure you have a lockable cupboard in the vestry where they can be stored. Do some risk assessment on your building and grounds. Contact the Registrar in Diocesan Office. He will be happy to advise you. If you have neighbours close to your building, let them know you are opening. Give them a number to ring if they have any concerns. Do a roster for opening and closing. Make sure you have a couple of people who are ready to step in if someone is sick or away. If you have a toilet on your grounds, open it for your visitors. If not, put a sign on your visitors table letting people know where the nearest community toilets are located. WHY NOT TRY At certain times of the year our gardens yield abundantly. Advertise that your open church is a GROW FREE centre. Set up a table where people may leave their excess produce, herbs, seedlings, plant cuttings, jams whatever. The rule is that you may take whatever is available for free or, if they wish, leave a small donation (a box would be better than a bowl). If someone has something to share, they may leave their produce and taken something from the table. My oranges for your lemons! Try GROW FREE! Your visitors will love it.

6 Places of Story We have some wonderful places of story in the Diocese of Willochra. From the underground church at Cooper Pedy, to the church s association with BCA and the opening of the hospital and pharmacy at Ceduna and the Two Up Tree on the grounds of Penwortham history abounds. How can we share our story with those who visit our churches? RESEARCHING YOUR STORY What would interest your visitors? Try to discover the story of the building of your church. How was the wider community involved? What impact did the church make on the community? For what purposes other than worship was it used? What about the stories of the families who have worshipped in your building? Were any of them pioneers or people of interest in the community? If you have a graveyard, as does St Phillip s at Belvidere (pictured), do you know the history of those who are buried there? Are any of their descendants still living in the area? (Check baptism, wedding and burial records). Are you able to find any historical photos of weddings or harvest festivals or significant celebrations? What is the story of the land on which your building is placed? Was it a place visited by the aboriginal people? Were there other significant buildings there before your church? PARTNER WITH OTHERS The local historical society may have information about families associated with your church. Perhaps the local school or high school would be interested in involving their students in a research program. Talk to your friends and neighbours and invite them to share their memories. SHARING YOUR STORY Allow your building to tell its own story. If you have the space, you can make a story board historic photos, stories of people and events, and stories of what happens in the present. Or you could put some mementoes of the past and a printed story of your church (please make sure that printed material is of good quality) on a table near the entrance of the building. If you have a graveyard you could have a guide to the gravestones and include any known stories about those who are buried in your church grounds. Advertise your story. Put some literature in the tourist bureau, caravan parks and other places that visitors may frequent in your area. If you are associated with significant pioneers or parts of the State s history, contact the SA tourist bureau. They are creating tourist s ways throughout the state. The Explorer s Way goes through Clare and much of Wakefield, Port Augusta and Cooper Pedy. Perhaps your church could become a significant place to visit. CELEBRATE YOUR STORY Be a part of community festivals. Hold events at your church on significant days - Pioneer Remembrance Services, Defence Sunday or a service in the graveyard on All Souls. Open your stories of faith as you open the doors of your building.

7 Places of Prayer Churches have traditionally been places of prayer, quiet and sanctuary. Throughout the ages, people have entered church buildings in order to pray (and often light a candle), to sit in quiet contemplation or to find a place of safety and refuge. Church doors were always opened to those in need of prayer and guidance. Have you ever felt the need to retreat to a quiet place? Would you like to offer quiet space to others in need? What would a prayer space look like in your church building? CREATING A PRAYER CORNER Find a corner or an alcove that can be set aside without constantly moving furniture. Most of us have far too many pews in our churches. Move some pews and clear a space. Offer some comfortable chairs as well as some cushions if people want to kneel. Play some meditative music. Taize and Iona offer some beautiful chants. Lots of resources can be downloaded on itunes. Decorate the walls. The example pictured on this page has some colourful banners. Have a board where prayer requests can be pinned. You could also have a book for people to write their prayer requests. (Please take prayer requests seriously. Pray them during your Sunday Worship or place a book of prayer requests on your altar and mention it during intercessions). If safety permits, put out a bowl of sand and some tapers. Lighting a prayer candle is symbolic and meaningful Leave out some prayer cards (make your own if you have a good printer) and even some booklets or pamphlets on prayer. If you are in a tourist area it may be helpful to have prayers for travellers or prayers of thanksgiving for the beauty of the area. Create an outside prayer area. Place a large cross and a seat in the garden. Plant some rosemary, lavender or other aromatic plants nearby. Have a sign marking this as a Prayer Garden. HOUSES OF PRAYER Churches are houses of prayer. If your open building focuses on prayer, it may be helpful to offer and advertise prayer services. Perhaps a Taize Service once a month? What about when there is a natural disaster or a terrorist attack? Open your building as a place of gathering and prayer. Next Wednesday we gather to pray for the victims of. Open your doors for prayer on every possible occasion.

8 Places of Enterprise SPACE TO SHARE As many of our rural communities age and decline in numbers, we are saddened to see shops close and community service relocate to larger centres. On Sundays, we worship in spacious buildings where many of our pews are empty. Apart from the worship space in our churches, there are other spaces offices, vestries, adjoining halls. We have space to spare. As people who live the extravagant hospitality of Christ, let us offer space to our communities. SOCIAL ENTERPRISE Many rural churches in the UK are now offering space for social enterprise. Where there are needs in the community a shop for basic groceries, a café, a gallery to showcase local crafts, an Op Shop, a Farmers Market and in one case even a laundry churches are partnering with their community and opening their doors to allow the enterprise to happen. Social Enterprise is not undertaken in order to keep the parish viable, although many have found that there are financial benefits. It is undertaken in order to partner with the community and to present the church as a place of hospitality ang gathering. ASSESS THE NEEDS It is pointless to open a café when there are already three cafes in town. Talk to your community, the council and even the tourist bureau. What is your community missing? What do tourists ask for as they come through your town? Be flexible. A full-time enterprise may not be needed, but perhaps a monthly or bimonthly Farmers Market would be appreciated. An annual craft fair for local artists? A Toy Market at Christmas? Perhaps there are people in the area who have ideas for a small business, but are unable to afford commercial rental. Why not partner with them and allow them to use your space? Perhaps your church could host several such enterprises? Imagine the activity and energy that would generate! CREATING THE SPACE Please be aware that you will need a Faculty to alter the interior of your church building, if that is what you intend to do. You will need to contact the Director of Ministry Development and Formation as well as the Registrar so that plans can be made and paperwork processed. Once this is done, transformation can begin! Keep your sanctuary as it is. When people enter the building they will know that this is still a place of worship. Make sure there is enough seating for your congregation and for future growth (it will happen!). Preferably, get rid of the pews and buy some comfortable chairs. You may wish to use some movable screens to divide the worship space from the enterprise. Keep your Prayer Corner, and have space where workers and clients can have coffee. Make sure the building is safe (The Registrar will assist with risk assessment) and also that there is disabled access. Now you have a nice spacious area that can be used by you and your community. Remember that God wants to be present to your community and your neighbourhood. As you bring the community to the building, you are bringing the Kingdom of God near to all who enter.

9 Generous sharing of what we have is a way of sharing love and bringing happiness. When we open and share our buildings we share hospitality, sacred space, prayer and refuge, as well as possibilities for community gathering, growth and enterprise. When we open and share our buildings we share the extravagant hospitality of God. WHAT WOULD OPENING YOUR DOORS MEAN TO YOUR COMMUNITY AND THOSE WHO VISIT?