That's the question I was asking myself last Friday night as the Allman Brothers took the stage. They have played New York for 40 years and for the last 20 years the Beacon Theater had been their home for nearly 2 weeks of concerts held annually. Even though every show is a sellout, this year they were bumped by the Beacon in favor of Cirque du Soleil. Their search for a new venue took them north of Harlem to the Washington Heights area where they found Christ United Church. The church facility was built in the late 20's originally as a vaudeville theater and was later converted into a movie theater. It fell into disrepair in the 50's and 60's until 1969 when it was purchased by the church. I don't know much about the church but imagine the opportunities to connect with the community by hosting over 3,000 people a night for 12 nights.
Maybe you can't host the Allmans but what could you do with your current and planned facilities? I'm not sure we've even scratched the surface thinking about how to design, build and utilize our facilities to partner with our communities. I know of several churches that loan their facilities overnight to an organization that houses and cares for the homeless. Another built a community fine arts center used by both the church and community. Others operate retail outlets, commercial cafes or restaurants. But that’s just the beginning. What unique ways have you seen churches plan and use their facilities to connect their community to Jesus?
This is no time to bemoan a post-Christendom culture because our opportunities are everywhere. People crave the grace and peace and joy of a life in Jesus. They just need people to find new ways to express the kingdom of God and show them his love. It is time to think differently.
"People can you feel it? Love is everywhere." – from Revival
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