Shutting out the Light
And the moon is a sliver of silver
Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter's shop
And every house must have it's builder
And I awoke in the house of God
Where the windows are mornings and evenings
Stretched from the sun
Across the sky north to south
~ Rich Mullins, "The Color Green"
We're spending the weekend at the 50th anniversary of a church in Toronto. Last night they had a concert and while the music was playing there was powerpoint slide show about the church's history. One thing that was highlighted was the mid-80's renovation/expansion. I remember coming back to this church after we were in Italy and almost cried: there were no more windows. The presentation last night noted that there were NO windows on purpose for two reasons: to cut out airport noise (which I never really thought was that bad, and there are other ways to deal with) and so that missionaries could do slide presentations.
While I applaud the congregation's commitment to missions, it seems to me that they symbolically cut themselves off from the community immediately around them by bricking up the windows. Perhaps it's only coincidence, but the congregation has failed to grow at the rate they hoped for.
I still find the lack of windows sad. I think if I lived in the community I would not chose to spend my Sunday mornings in an artificial cave. I have been to other churches without windows, but I think there is a difference between a store-front church where you have no choice, and deliberately choosing to shut out the light. I know that the earliest churches probably met in buildings without windows, but somehow I doubt this is what the Campbells had in mind as part of restoring primitive Christianity.
(yes, the icon on this post is a portion of a stained-glass window. I recognize my need for natural light may be stronger than others)
Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter's shop
And every house must have it's builder
And I awoke in the house of God
Where the windows are mornings and evenings
Stretched from the sun
Across the sky north to south
~ Rich Mullins, "The Color Green"
We're spending the weekend at the 50th anniversary of a church in Toronto. Last night they had a concert and while the music was playing there was powerpoint slide show about the church's history. One thing that was highlighted was the mid-80's renovation/expansion. I remember coming back to this church after we were in Italy and almost cried: there were no more windows. The presentation last night noted that there were NO windows on purpose for two reasons: to cut out airport noise (which I never really thought was that bad, and there are other ways to deal with) and so that missionaries could do slide presentations.
While I applaud the congregation's commitment to missions, it seems to me that they symbolically cut themselves off from the community immediately around them by bricking up the windows. Perhaps it's only coincidence, but the congregation has failed to grow at the rate they hoped for.
I still find the lack of windows sad. I think if I lived in the community I would not chose to spend my Sunday mornings in an artificial cave. I have been to other churches without windows, but I think there is a difference between a store-front church where you have no choice, and deliberately choosing to shut out the light. I know that the earliest churches probably met in buildings without windows, but somehow I doubt this is what the Campbells had in mind as part of restoring primitive Christianity.
(yes, the icon on this post is a portion of a stained-glass window. I recognize my need for natural light may be stronger than others)