Religious Minorities: Muslims in Germany, Christians in Turkey

Another interesting article from the BBC:

Free to believe?

One part that I found particularly interesting is where the Catholic nun said that she has no trouble whatsoever from her Muslim neighbors. Even the mayor of the city would like to turn the church back over to the Christians, but he's prevented by the national government. One assumes that the national government is under pressure from prominent religious figures (what the media likes to call "extremists").

It's a sobering lesson, when we think about the pressures that are exerted on our government by extremists ... and not just those of a religious nature. Do we forgive it when we agree with those exerting the pressure? Should we?

An Abbyville Success Story

Abbyville, Kansas is a small town (2000 census: 128 people) on the wide, flat Arkansas River valley about 20 miles west of Hutchinson. Like many small towns in the western 2/3 of Kansas, it's not getting any bigger. Abbyville has kept it's population fairly steady in recent decades because of it's proximity to Hutchinson. People can live in Abbyville and still work, shop and worship in the city. From Hutchinson, a recently four-laned highway makes the trip to Wichita a breeze. So Abbyville has some things going for it, but things did not look so great for the two churches in town a decade or so ago.

Abbyville had a Methodist church and a Christian church, both of which were slowly but surely dying. I don't have a lot of information on the Methodist church, but the Christian church was Norma's home church, so I've been there several times. The congregation was aging, there were few young families coming, the building was beautiful but tired. I'm sure the situation down the block at the Methodist church was similar. It took some far-sighted people (and the help of God) to propose a solution. It took even more blood, sweat, toil and tears to make that solution come to fruition.

What they did was merge the two churches! I'm not privy to the actual workings of the merger, and I am sure there were more than a few ruffled feathers, but the merger stuck. The Methodist's building was in better shape than the Christian church building, so everyone met there for many years. The preacher, a man who grew up just down the road a couple of miles, is the sort of man you can't help but like. He's full of energy, but he keeps it easy-going enough that I don't see how anybody could feel pushed or railroaded. He melded the two styles of worship well. When I visited, I still saw vestiges of Methodist worship, but nothing that was off-putting to me. After all, the real differences between the two groups is mostly in worship style, not in substance. There were a few defections over the merger, I'm sure, but for the time being, Abbyville still had a congregation where the locals could worship and fellowship on Sundays.

Problem is, this didn't solve the aging congregant situation, nor did it attract young families. The attendance figures continued to drop into the 60s, then the 50s, then the 40s sometimes. So what did they do? They built a new building! Talk about stepping out on faith.

My brother-in-law didn't remember the exact numbers, but he believed the building cost around $400,000. The land appears to have been donated, and I'm sure there were other items and labor donated. The old buildings and land were sold, but a quick mental calculation shows that there's still a huge debt that's been taken on by this little church. And if the merger wasn't enough, my observations of human nature tell me that there were probably more than a few people unhappy about the building plan, so there may have been additional defections from the church.

All that aside, the physical facilities are stunning. The layout is practical and functional, and "form follows function". Beautiful, sturdy pews face a simple stage. The stage is equipped with a powered projection screen for the ceiling-mounted projector. A small booth at the back of the sanctuary contains all the sound and computer equipment. Sliding partitions block off additional space for a fellowship hall, which is also easily used as overflow for larger services. At the back of the hall is an ample kitchen. The kitchen is particularly impressive, with lots of cabinet space, an island with a mini-sink, three main sinks in stainless steel (three sinks meet state requirements in case the church wants to prepare food during the large rodeo that's held across the street every summer), two matching ranges and two matching microwave ovens. I'm told that in the original plan, everyone thought that the kitchen was too small, so it was expanded. One wall opens out to the fellowship hall, with a long counter perfect for potlucks. I could go on and on about the space, but I'll settle for a few pictures:

And the upshot? Attendance is UP! Way up. Average attendance is now over 100, with plenty of young families. The day we visited, a couple dedicated their baby. My sister-in-law told me that the minister keeps preaching that the church is NOT a building. But, like she says, the church needs a place to call "home", a base from which to operate, a focal point for the work in the community. And Abbyville has it!

Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography

I've just started reading the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. I'm sure it will be a wonderful source of new quotes. Here, the first two of what will probably be many.

In the introduction, he talks about how God has blessed him greatly. He's "...gone so far through life with a consderable share of felicity..."

That Felicity, when I reflected on it, has induc’d me sometimes to say, that were it offer’d to my Choice, I should have no Objection to a Repetition of the same Life from its Beginning, only asking the Advantages Authors have in a second Edition to correct some Faults of the first. So would I if I might, besides correcting the Faults, change some sinister Accidents & Events of it for others more favourable, but tho’ this were deny’d, I should still accept the Offer.

In section 4, he relates a story passed down from his grandfather's day about the perils of being Protestant in a Catholic country:

This obscure Family of ours was early in the Reformation, and continu’d Protestants thro’ the Reign of Queen Mary, when they were sometimes in Danger of Trouble on Account of their Zeal against Popery. They had got an English Bible, & to conceal & secure it, it was fastened open with Tapes under & within the Frame of a Joint Stool. When my Great Great Grandfather read in it to his Family, he turn’d up the Joint Stool upon his Knees, turning over the Leaves then under the Tapes. One of the Children stood at the Door to give Notice if he saw the Apparitor coming, who was an Officer of the Spiritual Court. In that Case the Stool was turn’d down again upon its feet, when the Bible remain’d conceal’d under it as before.

There's little question that I will enjoy reading the rest of his work. Stay tuned for more quotes.

Counterfeit Christian Church? How to tell

A list called 8 Characteristics of a Counterfeit Christian Church is available at:

http://www.mrm.org/topics/introductory-issues/8-characteristics-counterfeit-christian-church

Check your church against that list.