“The Church is certainly not the building. But it’s more than just the people. It’s the people connected to each other and on mission together. When that’s happening, the Church becomes an unstoppable force that changes the fabric of the community it’s a part of.”
LifeSpringNC.com
Content Summary:
- Invitation to Reflection
- Introduction of the Church Space
- Struggles and Ironies: Insurance and ADA Laws
- Personal Anecdotes
- Philosophical Reflections
- Connecting Religion, Spirituality, and Society
- Conclusion and Invitation
A thought-provoking opportunity to bridge two seemingly disparate groups—traditional Christians and the “nones,” who practice more individualized spirituality—by focusing on a common issue that affects both: accessibility and the evolving role of religious institutions in society.
If you’d like to jump to Analysis and Approach click here.
I’m looking for people who aren’t afraid to admit they don’t have all the answers—those who can acknowledge that while we may not have definitive solutions, certain things need to be reconsidered, changed, or implemented to make this world safer and freer for everyone, regardless of their beliefs. If you’re here to argue about what you believe to be right, this isn’t the space for you.
This is a journey through my experiences, filled with the irony of life, especially during these times.
So, after looking up the definition, I read that tithing is giving a tenth of one’s income, while offerings are anything beyond that. Did I tithe or offer to a church? Not directly, but I did pay the utilities to keep the lights on at the church I’ve been leasing for the past two years. And here I am, discussing churches and religion—topics that never particularly interested me. It’s not because I’m a non-believer or because of any assumptions you might have based on my past discussions. It’s simply that what someone practices, believes, honors, or worships is their business. For me, these things are deeply intimate, and I’ve never been interested in debating which is right or wrong or — the way.
“Instead of saying, “Here is the church / here is the steeple / open it up / and see all the people,” we reverse the sequence of the hand motions and say: “Here is the church / a saved-by-grace people / sometimes they gather / under a steeple.””
TableTalkMagazine.com
The initial plan for “the church” space, which I’ll refer to as the church, was to use it as a co-working and mixed-use space. But I quickly learned it was nearly impossible to obtain the required insurance. It turns out that many, not just in this area, have lost insurance coverage or can’t find it, largely due to the location and the increasing frequency of natural disasters.
“Churches are battling to obtain affordable insurance cover as insurers rethink their taste for the religious institutions space. – Churches across America face insurance turbulence”
InsuranceBusinessMag.com
…and then there are hurdles with zoning and permits and such. The most “affordable” way to navigate some of these requirements is to maintain the building’s status as a religious place—a church.
Let me take you back a few years to how this all began.
I never intended to be in Florida this long. Before this, I spent four years in Oklahoma, where I met J and M. I met J in an alley one day—he was walking out the back of a beautiful old red-brick church that I had been curious about. A sign in front of the building read “Neutral Zone,” which piqued my interest. I rolled up on him, said “Hi! I don’t mean to be nosey but…”, and he invited me to be nosy.