Church Without Walls

After watching the delightful movie "Julie and Julia" and receiving a recipe book for my Crock Pot based on yet another blog, I decided it was time to do my own blog around this new ministry called "The Welcome Church."

Like most important things in my life, The Welcome Church happened in a "backwards" sort of way. First came the non-religious (but very spiritual) non-profit called The Welcome Center, a place of healing and hospitality for people experiencing homelessness. It was not long, however, that a worshipping community formed among our guests, and we began doing Bible study, having prayer, and weekly communion services. Thus grew "The Welcome Church," open to all, and recognized by the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) as a SAWC, or Synodically Authorized Worshipping Community. OK. So this means that as one ordained in the Lutheran Church, I can serve as pastor.

But why a church without walls?

Though our weekly communion services are held inside and hosted by Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion at 2111 Sansom Street, Tuesdays at 2:00, our ultimate goal is to have services outdoors. We have begun with monthly services on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, at Logan Circle in Philadelphia.

So why outdoors, especially when we are hit with Arctic blast such as we are now experiencing?

Well, many of our friends living on the street simply are not comfortable inside the walls of a church.

Actually, many of my housed friends are not so comfortable inside a church either.

Building costs are cheap...well, really, non-existent.

Great for folks with claustrophobia, or for people who just need to move around, or feel they can't get through a whole service without taking a smoke break (we do ask folks to step back a little if they are going to smoke)

Street church is terrifc for those who might just want to "listen in".

And being church outdoors is a wonderful public witness of hope and grace.

So, a group of us clergy type folks from several different traditions will be gathering in a few weeks to explore ways to be this church without walls.

This is my first attempt at blogging and I could use all the help I can get, including your commnets, prayers, and ideas. So thanks to anyone who takes the time to read and write.