Of Broken Churches and Real Faith

Over the past couple of days, I have stumbled upon a couple of bits of information that seem to connect together. I thought I might share this with you, my faithful 12 consistent readers (including the bored night watchman in the office building in Fargo).

Also, click on the photo above; this is a real church.

Staying in a Sick Church
First, my friend Mark Roberts links to an interesting article about the merits of staying in a church that is not doing so well. In a Christianity Today article, issues of staying in a troubled denomination are discussed. This is something I have been thinking about for a long time now. We have chosen to stay, in a church that has gone from sick to much better, but still in need of ongoing, patient care and continued healing. We have chosen not to do the easy thing and leave. It has not been all fun and happy shiny times, but God has been present in it all.

Staying in an Empty Church
And yesterday, whilst visiting Starbucks on my way to work, I spotted this article, about a congregation of Catholics near Boston, who have been sleeping in their church for over four years, in defiance of the Catholic Archdiocese. Their sense of community and connection to one another is moving, in spite of the seeming futility of their actions. They are practicing acts of faith, daily.

Take a moment and look here, to witness a moving slide show of the faith of these earnest folks.

It seems to me, that in the midst of these varied but similar situations, in the midst of the uncertainties of faith, God is present. What do you think?