Too easy to be ovewhelmed

Wednesday was a day of visiting the largest Methodist Church And Presbyterian church  in South Korea.  In New England, large United Methodist Churches mean anywhere for 300 to 600 in worship.  In the Sarang "Love" Presbyterian church, the average weekly attendance is around 49,000 (no, this is not a typo) and the Kwang-lim Methodist church avenged with 4,800 people a year in Bible studies.  Both had either recently completed a building project that cost in the millions with the church having spent 180 million dollars (roughly two-thirds of the cost the land on which the structure was built).  That building has seven floors that are seen above the ground and another 5 or so below ground.  To get to the sanctuary we actually went down four floors below the ground level.  The sanctuary is capable of holding 6,500 folks and has an amazing video system and a huge stage at the front.  Like the Kwang-lim Methodist Church there is a bridge that goes between two buildings and there is a wide open outside area between them where's folks can relax and enjoy the beauty of the day.

The Methodist church has recently completed their second building which can be reached by a glass bridge from the original structure that contains the main sanctuary and five floors of Rooms for Christian education.  The new structure contains a coffee shop and thrift store on the bottom level, two conference rooms in which wedding receptions can be held for up to 300 people each, and a stunning performance hall where all kinds of events including concerts and other shows can be held.  In the sanctuary are huge stained glass windows created and built by the brothers at Taize.  As I reflected on all of the church structures of which I am aware in the New England conference they are much smaller than these buildings.  As a matter of fact, more than a few of the church structures in the New Hampshire district would fit into the sanctuaries of these churches.

However, as I think about what these facilities provide, the most important thing I remember are the
bridges that were used to connect multiple structures.  Why are they so important to me?  Those bridges were created as a firm example of church leaving their worshiping space and moving into the communities around them.  In both cases the bridge is the walkway into the parts of their ministry that seek to serve all neighbors.  The buildings to which they connect are the ones that offer opportunities for the church to connect with the community, to move from talking about how Jesus served others to living it out in their own lives as individuals and as members of the faith community.  In these huge and expensive structures they wanted to make sure it wasn't all about them but rather to make sure they used the bridge to serve their communities.

While we might never create structures this size, and for many it is a challenge to maintain our aging facilities, we can all seek to create bridges that remind us, and others within out faith communities, that we are not here to serve ourselves as Christians but rather to move out and into the community to
serve with those in our neighborhoods and larger communities.  What might those connections be to
the world around us?  How can we be intentional about connecting with the community?

Pleae don't get caught up in their size or awe but rather I would invite us to consider if we have bridges into  our communities, and if not, how might we build them.  That is something that we can all accomplish within our communities and We might be surprised at how easy it is to make them.