On Thursday morning I walked through an estate sale at the Ruskin Heights Presbyterian church. When I first saw the ad, I thought to myself, "So did the church die?" And as I walked through the building and perused the tables of merchandise, I concluded- yes & no.
From what I found online, the church held its last worship service on August 30, 2009, after voting the close the church. The reasons given: decline in attendance and giving, cost of operations- but the saddest one: "lack of a vision for the church over the next 5-10 years." (You can read the report here: Comssion Report) Did the church die? The head of the church, Jesus Christ, is alive and well. His church (his body) is alive and in some places, well. But this local church died. Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." I am sure that August 30 was a sad day for the remaining members of this church. The reality, though, is that this was the result of a long and slow decline. I overheard two ladies, one of whom still lived in the neighborhood, but really wanted to move away, say, "I wish the neighborhood would change back to what it was." The reality is that the Ruskin Heights neighborhood has changed drastically. Crime has increased and the socio-economic culture has changed. Unfortunately, the church probably never changed with it. I wonder- did the remaining members view their church as a mission outpost from which they would reach their neighborhood, or as a protective sanctuary in which members could find safe haven from the big bad world and the unsafe neighborhood? When churches move into self-protection- watch out. The end is near. You might as well call the estate sale company. I felt sad as I walked the halls looking for good deals on used church furnishings.
In all fairness, I don't really know the situation- but what I described above is what happens in many churches. Hopefully another ministry, which fits the culture of the neighborhood, will buy the building and begin ministering in and to the neighborhood.
Here are a few other random thoughts: churches have a lot of junk!!!! There must have been 27 bookcases in that place. Anybody need a luncheon set? They are selling everythign that is left for 50% off today- and there were about 19 luncheon sets still in the boxes they came in when they were purchased in 1963. I was able to purchase 10 folding tables for New Vision Church- and I picked them up at a great price!
