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Sep. 23, 2009
Another School Assignment...
... that turned out pretty nice.
The outside of the Salvation Army church is impressive. Built on a steep incline, the proud white walls and majestic pointed roof rise past the street level, eager to welcome any wanderer or wonderer. The double glass doors on the top level open into a foyer area, freshly tiled with large golden brown tiles. Hallways shoot off to the right and left but one’s attention is immediately drawn to the imposing sanctuary. Sound bounces off the high vaulted ceiling and the room is heavily trimmed with dark wood accent. Matching dark wood pews radiate out across the whole room and stop abruptly at the stage, on which rests a black shiny grand piano, a solid wood pulpit and a bright, well-polished drum set. Truly this is a place of solemn worship to God, a place in which all distractions have been cast aside and the surroundings prepared in a way to honor His presence.
The double metal doors on the bottom level open into a large fellowship hall. The floor is covered with dirty white tile. To the immediate left is a large industrial kitchen, complete with huge sinks, an industrial dishwasher, and a disposal that doesn’t work. The oven has eight burners and the flames are always lit, giving the kitchen an oily smell. The huge walk-in freezer is filled with random donated food from various businesses in town and the frozen food is stacked on metal racks up to the ceiling. Three girls are busily washing dishes, sweeping the kitchen floor, and laughing merrily.
Past the kitchen, two boys are in the hall fighting over the mop bucket in front of the two bathrooms. A girl pushes open the heavy wooden door of the ladies’ room and asks for Windex. In the janitor’s closet – sized more like a bedroom – two girls busily fold various pieces of cloth and pack them away in boxes. One corner of the room is adorned with boxes of toilet paper and paper towels; another corner houses a sturdy metal shelf filled with boxes and duffel bags. The room is a mess; dingy white gloves are scattered across the floor, cleaning supplies are scattered across the two tables in the room, and various papers are lying crumpled in every corner. Is this the same building that houses a reverent sanctuary on the floor above?
Although there is cleaning going on elsewhere, most of the action is happening in the big fellowship hall. Boys are stacking metal folding chairs up on top of the several folding tables. Others are gathering Bibles, notebooks, shirts, and other various objects and placing them on a table at the back, next to a table made for heating and serving food. One small boy is running back and forth from the industrial sized trashcans to the large dumpster in the back with big black bags of trash. Talk and laughter is buzzing around the room and in the middle of it all the caretaker of the building stands smiling.
He is a sturdy man; his body is well-toned from years of hard labor. His darker skin and heavy accent belie his Costa Rican ancestry. He’s dressed in well-worn jeans and a loose button-up shirt, and looks comfortable in the much-used work clothes. His big, muscular hands are strong enough to do heavy manual labor but gentle enough to caress his one-year old son – there is more to this man than first appears. His four children love him to pieces because even when he disciplines them they know he does it out of love. It is rare to see him angry.
When he smiles he lights up the room with his grin; his laugh is engaging and makes people smile. He’s an honest man; puts on no airs around anyone and is comfortable to just be who he is. His genuine nature draws the hurting, and he welcomes them with Christ’s love. He encourages everyone, no matter how they’re doing, and sees the best in every person. Yes, this is more than just a caretaker or a janitor. Just as there is more to the church than its impressive building, there is more to this man than his exterior. Hidden deep inside is a heart for God and a love for people, and this heart is clearly reflected in everything he does.
There should be more to our churches than their buildings; people should be drawn by more than breath-taking stained-glass windows or harmonious choirs. We are called to be reflections of Christ, and if people truly saw this reflection in us, they might not just come to church occasionally.
They might just come to stay.
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Sep. 24, 2009 - Untitled Comment