I was asked to share communion with one of our New Worshiping Communities (NWC) on Sunday. Divine Redeemer is located in Dolton, a Southeast suburb of Chicago. Dolton is also the former home of the new pope! Commissioned Pastor Hugo Morales leads Divine Redeemer. The attendance of the NWC has steadily increased to over 55 people! There are little children, many working adults, and seniors as well. Divine Redeemer will send seven teenagers to Triennium this year. Their current building is their third location in the past four years. They’ve outgrown the other two places. They are seeking another home.
Entire congregation during the benediction
After leaving the church, I decided to go past the recently sold home of my late father. This was my childhood home. I saw that the new owners haven’t taken possession. The grass was overgrown, and the driveway needed care. I remembered playing on the patio, climbing the big oak tree out front, and learning to cut the seven lawns of grass surrounding our corner property. Looking at the garage in the back, I realized that although this property is the house of my childhood, it is not my home. My home is in my heart and mind. No weeds will overgrow the treasure of memories of family and life in my childhood home.
While in St. Louis during the Memorial Day holiday, I saw the damage the F3 tornado did to the city. This included the destruction of Cote Brilliante, a cherished African American Presbyterian church. (You can see a photo of the damage to the church here – and donate to PDA and their work meeting the needs of churches following tornadoes this spring.) The Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy is helping them find a temporary home, but nothing will replace the building that was destroyed by a force of nature. The members of Cote Brilliante are determined to stick together. They know that the building is not the church. The church is the collective memories of joyful activities and worship in the hearts of the people.
Living in the post-COVID world has shaken the priorities of many congregations as they wrestle with buildings that are too large to maintain for a shrinking attendance. Some of these church buildings are beautiful, magnificent structures — and I am not minimizing their value, significance, or importance. As sessions meet and determines the investment needed to maintain these buildings, remember where the church is located: It is in the hearts and minds of the members and those who attend. The church is the many acts of love and mission these people do as they are challenged and changed by Jesus Christ. The church is not the building. The church is the people.
Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard
Rev. Dr. Craig Howard with leadership of Divine Redeemer
