http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/April17/1783.htmlWhen I read this, I thought: resturaunts? other things? I know the church is only a building but I remember Jesus getting mad at the folks that were selling stuff in the temple in Mathew, saying " This is a house of prayer and you have made it a den of thieves!".....But I do agree with him that the churches need to stay open more than just Sunday, like, ours is open wed, thurs, and sunday and for special events, other days or if you need to meet with the pastor, that kind of thing.Article:Sunday-Only Churches Urged to Stay Openhttp://www.christianpost.com/article/20080414/31940.htmChurches should leave their doors open throughout the week, making use of their facilities for more than just Sunday worship, the Archbishop of Wales says.Dr. Barry Morgan is scheduled to speak to church delegates Monday at the Transforming Communities and Congregations conference in Llandudno, North Wales, to encourage them to "think creatively" about how their buildings are used."A church that is closed Monday to Friday is the worst possible advertisement for Christianity," he said, according to BBC News.Making the most of church buildings includes opening it up for use as conference facilities, for school groups and for counseling services, among other things."We cannot go on locking up our treasures in closed buildings any more. We have to open the doors of the churches physically, as well as metaphorically," Morgan said. "Developing community buildings will involve us in new relationships with our communities and opens doors for us to rediscover and develop a proper and appropriate place alongside others in our parishes across the whole of Wales."His comments come as many churches across Europe have closed their doors permanently and found new uses, with many transformed into restaurants, entertainment clubs, warehouses, as well as mosques, in order to survive the continual decline in church membership and attendance. Currently, about 30 Church of England churches are closed for worship – or declared "redundant" – each year, according to the national church's Web site. A list of churches is being marketed on the Web site "for suitable alternative use.""We have seen a steady decline in church and chapel attendances over the past 50 years and, as a consequence, many of our finest historic buildings are being put at risk through a lack of use and investment," said Michael A. Davies, director of Davies Sutton Architects in Cardiff, who has worked on a number of church restorations, according to Media Wales.“In many cases these buildings are becoming totally redundant and new uses are having to be found, or they are being demolished," he added.Davies is pleased to hear Morgan's encouragement and believes churches need to maintain a continuous beneficial use for a sustainable future.“It is often the case that ancient buildings change over time as they outgrow their original uses, and their owners wish to alter them for modern use," he noted. “The key is to adapt these old buildings with sympathetic and flexible uses."Conference attendees will be introduced to Church in Wales churches that are already adapting, including St. Hywyn's at Aberdaron, Gwynedd, which has been renovated to serve pilgrims making their way to Bardsey Island, as well as local visitors. St. Maelog's at Llanfaelog, Anglesey, built a meeting room above the church for wood and glasswork by local artists, and hosts concerts and classes, as well as worship, as reported by BBC News. And at St. John's in Llangollen, Clwyd, pews were taken out to create a flexible space for intimate or contemporary services."It is very important that we use the space we have got," said the Rev. Raymond Smith, vicar of St Mary's Church, which has improved the building for religious services and other uses. "We are a church in the community, for the community and we are involved in the community."Such added purposes to the churches will attract a greater proportion of the community, said Davies. "It is possible that the congregation will start to grow again."
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I grew up in a petroleum camp in which the building used for Mass was a multi-purpose auditorium, amateur theater and cinema. The altar was wheeled in for services. Everything from funerals to visits with Santa went on in that space.
Nowadays I see churches the size of shopping malls being closed most of the week, although many operate schools and day care. Some churches do take turns opening their doors to the homeless for limited times. Sunday school classrooms get rented out for unrelated meetings.
One big consideration, in the U.S. at least, is the high cost of insurance. If churches are used for a variety of activities all week long, they bear a higher risk of theft and vandalism, as well as accountability for the health and safety of a greater number of occupants.
Another is higher utility bills. Depending upon where it's located, the church has to chill down the main sanctuary well in advance of the first service. The further south, the bigger the energy costs.
Some American Indian tribes worshipped outdoors on bare ground, and still do. They must think we are crazy.
not really, I am Cherokee- Native American Indian myself, but I am a Christian, and there are some that still worship outdoors that worship God, lol. A church is the people, congregation, not the building. If a church building burnt down, you can still gather together and have church, even out doors :D
The article is interesting, and bring to mind the situation with the Baptist church we attend: The church meets in a Seventh Day Adventist church on Sunday (the Adventists only use the building on Saturday, so it's available to us on Sunday) and we have a gathering of well over 100+ people on a given Sunday, but the elders have deliberately chosen NOT to pursue a building, and rather will continue to use a Seventh Day Adventist building for our Sunday worship, simply because they can't justify building a church that will remain unused Monday through Friday.
It actually makes sense to me, and it's a good arrangement (until, of course, we outgrow the building... :)
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Nowadays I see churches the size of shopping malls being closed most of the week, although many operate schools and day care. Some churches do take turns opening their doors to the homeless for limited times. Sunday school classrooms get rented out for unrelated meetings.
One big consideration, in the U.S. at least, is the high cost of insurance. If churches are used for a variety of activities all week long, they bear a higher risk of theft and vandalism, as well as accountability for the health and safety of a greater number of occupants.
Another is higher utility bills. Depending upon where it's located, the church has to chill down the main sanctuary well in advance of the first service. The further south, the bigger the energy costs.
Some American Indian tribes worshipped outdoors on bare ground, and still do. They must think we are crazy.
It actually makes sense to me, and it's a good arrangement (until, of course, we outgrow the building... :)