When a church loses its power

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Last week I was on my way to my church for our Wednesday night drop-in meal called The Vine when I got a call from the church caretaker. He told me that the church building had no heat or light due to a complete loss of power in the building.

After exploring a few options, we had to reluctantly call off The Vine for that night. I knew we had no heating as our boiler is currently broken, but in addition, we now had no way of cooking or lighting the space. 

As we had no way of informing our guests, I continued to the church so I could speak to guests as they arrived and explain the situation.

Explaining there was no meal available to people expecting food was not a great job, especially to those guests who are homeless. But actually there was a strange kind of blessing in the whole experience.

Humbling

Firstly, it was humbling.  Almost all our guests are struggling with many challenges and it felt a bit like the church was sharing in these struggles too. We too are a frail community who are far from having it all together.  We were experiencing something a little like those who have no money to put on their power meter or have their electricity cut off.

Secondly, all the guests were incredibly gracious about the situation.  Sure, people looked disappointed but there was no anger or any sense of entitlement from anyone.  I had a series of genuinely lovely conversations as people said things like, ‘No problem Jon’ and ‘Well, I guess I’ll see you next week.’

‘Changed my life’

But thirdly, and most deeply, the situation led to a conversation with one guest who occasionally comes along to our services on Sunday mornings.  He said to me:

‘Oh Jon, I really need to talk to you about the sermon the old guy preached on Sunday. It was a great message, I think it changed my life.’

(By the ‘old guy’ he meant a retired gentleman who used to teach at a local theological college and who regularly preaches on Sundays.)

‘Prayer is hard’

As I had not heard the talk myself (I was with the youth group that week), I asked him what it was about. And he explained:

‘He was talking about prayer being hard, and this is what I found this so helpful because I find it hard too – and there he was at the front admitting he found it hard.  And it got me thinking that its hard because its important and most important things are often not easy.’

I found it so encouraging to hear someone not often in church talking so animatedly about the impact of a sermon. And it was not some barnstorming message of miraculous transformation or God’s mighty power, but a simple, honest, wise message about prayer being hard.

Honest and authentic

I have written before about how the liturgical prayers we use at The Vine make a tangible difference to the atmosphere and vibe of the evening. And this was another illustration of the power of Christian message when it is communicated in an accessible, honest and authentic way.

So standing outside my church on a cold evening, telling people there was no food available was not a great job, but it was a time of surprising blessings.

It reminded me of one of the many metaphors that Jesus uses to describe himself (John 6:35):

‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never go thirsty’

Words and actions

I believe in the church offering food, fellowship and community to those in need. Our faith needs to be practical. Actions do speak louder than words.

But let’s never think words are unnecessary. Let’s be ready and confident to share words which point people to the one who motivates and empowers us to act. Let’s help people learn how to pray and to engage with Jesus even if they struggle to take part in ‘conventional’ church.

After all, what better gift can we give anyone than help them connect with the living God?

As I was reminded that evening, even when the church has nothing practical to provide, it can always offer people the bread of life.  Perhaps when we are empty-handed, we have the most to offer?

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Interested in how the Christian faith can make difference to addressing homelessness and poverty? Come to the Hope into Action conference on 7th March.