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Deck Chairs

 

I was not planning a Three-Part Series. However, here we are.

Recall:
•    Two weeks ago: When Did You Last Volunteer?

•    Last week: Asking the Right Questions;

•    This week: “Rearranging the Deck Chairs.” 
    
Do we accept the theory – “The spaces we inhabit shape the work we do?”

We all know what happens when furniture gets re-arranged at home or in the workplace. Now let’s think about moving church furniture. 
    
•    Some of us can recall the experience of moving the Altar, allowing the priest to face the congregation rather than face East. (Church Renewal-101, following Vatican II.) 

•    A seminary colleague suggested roping-off the back half of the nave. The result: as much excitement as would arise if the last 4 pews here at St. John’s were roped off!
        
•    I think about a term Bishop Logan used as rector at St. George’s Cadboro Bay—'Reimagining the tent.' Some parishioners probably thought, ‘we’ll just change it back, when he leaves.’ Yes. It is still ‘re-imagined’. 
    
Nothing drastic. But what happens when we re-arrange our deck chairs? 

How accustomed have we become with room arrangements for meetings? What about items decorating our spaces? How do they affect us?

As we anticipate the building project here at St. John’s and think about Sundays' "coffee time after worship" we will see some shifting of furniture. It may mean sitting in a different pew for some of us, but we will each be affected, in one way or another.

Why, even the parish priest may need to look more closely to see who is missing!

I recently read about an idea: meeting  in a space called "the future room".

Rather than all of our usual wall decor, we opt for: white walls with color photos of current neighbors, possibly pictures of future neighbors, and a picture-window looking out on the community. 

When I stand at the corner of Jubilee and First streets and compare the current view of February 2025 to  that of February 2020, I can see a lot of differences. The number of new buildings within two blocks is extraordinary for a smaller city combined with a municipal district!

We have so many new neighbours, with more to come!    

Do you accept the following theory: "the spaces we inhabit shape the work we do in them?"

Now, have you ever noticed how we like to see who is speaking, or who is coming or going? I find it interesting, while up in the pulpit, how quickly a listener’s attention can shift when a new arrival enters mid-liturgy. 
    
It is human nature: we like to know what is happening! 

Our First Nations sisters and brothers recognized this truth centuries ago—they gather in a circle. Everyone can see, hear, and listen more attentively to all present – including God’s Spirit. 
    
The spaces we inhabit DO shape the work we do in them.

Blessings,
Archdeacon Brian+