Temporary Home

Ephesians 2 gives some insight into the definition of and the resident power within the Church, the
body of Christ:
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,
21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

We acknowledge that the Church, the body of Christ, is not defined by the building in which it meets, but it is described as a building in Scripture, established on our "chief corner stone."  Even though we are individuals and the Church is comprised of individuals, as the Holy Spirit gets involved, the work of God is expressed and we grow - together - in Him, as a strong entity, a force to exalt God in this world, to display His glory and to carry out His work.

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In 1st Timothy 3, the apostle Paul is writing about church structure. He states:
14 These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly;
15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

A church in Sandston, Virginia, outside Richmond, ran into a unique predicament recently - what had been its place of worship, at a local hotel, had been shuttered.  The church's Facebook page recounted the story:

When we arrived for worship at the Econolodge on Labor Day weekend, there were signs posted indicating that the building was not to be occupied. We moved our equipment and began a search for a new worship space. We did hear from a Henrico County building official on Tuesday that we could have worshiped in the space that we had been using, because the issue was with other spaces in the building. My understanding is that as of the middle of last week the Econolodge had fixed the building issues. Due to a number of reasons, however, we are not currently planning to return to that space.

The post did express appreciation to the hotel for allowing the church to use the space - but it was time to move on.  So, where to go next?  According to a Fox News story, one of the church members called her boss - after all, that location she was calling about is not in use on Sunday...so the local Chick-fil-A opened its doors the next week - not to serve food, but in order for the church to serve its people.  The Fox story stated:

The fast food restaurant is allowing a displaced congregation from the White Oak Community Church to conduct its meetings inside the eatery until the group can find a more permanent solution, reports WTVR.

Fox reports that lead pastor Dave Wilde "was quick to add that there would be no food served during the meeting. '[But] if you’re a current or future attender, and you always wanted to worship in a restaurant setting, this is your lucky day.'"

I don't know how many weeks the church met in the restaurant, but they have re-re-located.  The church's website announces that it meets now on Saturday nights in another church building.  Its Facebook page actually has some video of the setup.  The church apparently is devoted to small groups, which can provide fellowship and growth opportunities.  And, they just concluded a community outreach earlier this month.

I think there are some great concepts that we can apply to our own lives and the collective life of the church.  For one thing, we continue to highlight that the Church is not a building.  You can hear a phrase such as "the church is located..." in such and such a location.  That refers to where the church meets, but we know the Church resides in the hearts of God's people, and where we are representing Christ, that's where the Church in located.

But, God does desire for us to meet together - for teaching, for fellowship, for outreach, and more. Why, just this weekend, and continuing perhaps tomorrow, churches will be sponsoring outreach events providing a Christian alternative to the celebration of Halloween.  These fall festival activities do give churches a chance to interface with their communities and to perhaps see people come into a saving knowledge of Christ.  For various types of outreach, churches can meet on their property, or perhaps do an outreach event in a special location where people are in need of ministry.  In those cases, the church meets in order to minister.

We can also look to God as our provider.  White Oak Community Church in Virginia lost its meeting place, but God provided another in the form of a local Chick-fil-A, which allowed the body to meet there.  This is indicative, by the way, of Chick-fil-A's commitment to serve its local community.  And, apparently, God has provided again with another location for that church.

We can reflect on our relationship with the living God, Who is at work in the hearts of His people, who testify to His greatness by living our lives in dependence upon Him.