For generations, houses of worship – some stone, some brick and others frame – have dotted the countryside. Churches were the hub of a community. People chose their church by faith or, for others, it was a matter of closest to home.
Today, many of those fortresses of spirituality remain. Some churches continue to flourish and we note with a sense of pride that some faiths have built new complexes to accommodate growing churches that have multiple services and community outreach programs of great consequence.
Other rural churches struggle with dropping attendance, making it difficult to generate enough revenue to meet expenses. Sadly, many congregations have had to make the tough choice of closing their doors and in turn demolishing the structure to finalize the deal. All that remains from these once busy hubs of activity is a plaque or aged cemetery stones. We can think of other sites, where farms have long since retaken the site for fields, with nothing left to show except maybe a notation on an old survey.
For us, two such landmarks still alive and well provide a guidepost for the ride home from work each day. The kids have long gauged the journey home by the “little church” and “big church” to know where we are. The little church, based on height and location, is Speedside United, and the big church gracing the hill at Oustic is St. Peter’s Roman Catholic.
Both congregations continue to thrive, renovating and preserving their halls of worship.
It behooves neighbours to step up and support their local churches. Whether people attend regularly or use the facility in times of need, communities can benefit immensely by having an open church at the ready. In times of despair, the church is a source of comfort and, depending on the circumstance, a valued meeting place for family and friends.
Regardless of circumstance, when needed those churches and congregations open their doors. Church basements are often a spot for meetings like 4-H, AA or other such similar support groups. That is why it’s worth helping when asked.
For those who dedicate their Sunday to worship, the changes in the world today can be quite disconcerting. It just so happened this past week, three entirely unrelated individuals approached us about church issues.
One needed a bit of help for a charity drive, another bemoaned the seemingly constant undermining of Christian values and yet another worried about keeping a small town church open long term.
The latter had a comment that concerned us the most, since by outward appearances the church seemed in good condition.
Certainly, the magnificent structure and volunteer efforts to keep it in good repair are going well. But within, politics and an aging congregation with limited outreach and resources make people question the longer term. Some elderly members have chosen, for mobility reasons, to just watch a service at home on TV.
Perhaps the most startling question posed to us was whether the arenas full of parents and kids might be the place for services to be held. It was a bit tongue in cheek, but the “busyness” of family life seemed to give our friend a sense that priorities have no doubt changed in the last quarter century. It used to be that Sunday mornings were dedicated to worship – rather than anything but.
Although times change and landmarks pass into the night, we have little doubt that those special places remain an important part of the social fabric that made Canada what it is today.
