by Mary Wakefield Buxton –
NAPLES, Fla. — One day a large, colorful postcard arrived for me in the mail similar to those politicians looking for votes sent us these days. (By the way, while I am writing about the mail, I want to take this opportunity to pat the Urbanna Post Office on the back because of the splendid service it provided us in forwarding our Urbanna mail this winter. Thank you!)
On the front of the postcard written in bold letters against a gorgeous shot of the white beach on the Gulf announced … “Out of the building and at the Beach!” Curious, I read on and discovered the card was an invitation for me to join a new kind of church in Naples.
Is Christianity marketing religion these days by advertising services by direct mail? By offering a church with no building that meets on the beach?
Yet, almost immediately I thought — well, why not? Doesn’t every business use direct mail advertising these days and isn’t that where everyone is during good weather and since Florida enjoys pleasant weather year round, why not offer church services where the people are?
Flipping over the card, I read more of this new kid on the block; it described itself as a new non-denominational church and it promised “You don’t have to believe to belong” (to which my ever contrary brain immediately reversed the saying to an even greater truth … “you don’t have to belong to believe.”)
Still, it fascinated me that this new fellowship was not demanding the faithful to accept any specified creed or dogma but to bring whatever their individual seeds of faith were that they held dear and simply join in the general thanksgiving. That is a huge jibe in the wind for Christianity and a stunning challenge to “established” churches.
I continued reading to learn the new group meets outdoors each week so to skip maintenance cost of a church building so to better use limited funds for helping the needy.
A stunning idea for if one’s goal is to help those who need aid and you only have limited funds, why not use money for alms rather than monthly utility bills?
“We don’t do politics, status symbols, or labels, our goal is to love God, love others and follow Jesus.” The post card continued. Amazing. A church that doesn’t delve into politics?
Now that’s a big change for Christian churches have long been immersed in politics.
I thought of the national political agenda now attached to most established churches which has turned off some church goers. (An example was a candidate running for office last year sending a video to selected Virginia churches asking for votes.) Christianity is steeped in politics.
Yet, use of a concept of God or Jesus as part of a political action team is disquieting to say the least and even worse is any suggestion that such a power supports one side over the other.
The new church promised featuring some of the best musicians in the area each week along with non-dogmatic inspirational messages, fellowship events and community service projects. More good ideas.
This new group will surely strike a note with those looking to cast off shackles of the past and seek new ground which is what religion does over the centuries. It evolves to meet the changing needs of the times — or it dies.
Naples already has a strong outdoor community “church” that eschews a traditional church building and meets in a downtown park each Sunday morning and uses live music as its mainstay. It attracts thousands of people each week who come in shorts and sandals and with babies and dogs and is especially popular with tourists.
Middlesex County also offers outdoor services during summer at Bethpage Camp-Resort and Deltaville beach (Stingray Point) and I believe they are sponsored by area Baptist churches. This type of casual worship will no doubt become more evident in future years as Christianity moves to meet needs of a rapidly changing society.
Another change we have seen is an area Episcopal church offers a service on late Saturday afternoons. This is convenient time as worshippers can attend service on their way to other functions and not have to get up and rush off to church the next morning. In our high stress, on the go society, this is a consideration in many families.
Many churches today may be considering new ideas but some would argue the above is simply “window dressing” and the real problem is biblical teaching has never come to grips with modern science and until it does, there will be continuing drain in church membership.
One can hope Christianity can evolve in time to stop the hemorrhaging because life in a world of darkened churches and empty pews without Christianity’s message of love and forgiveness is … unthinkable.
(This is the sixth in a special series.)
© 2022
