Church is not a building

On Friday afternoons, I have been getting regular visits from a Jehovah's Witness, who has now become my friend. Early on, we talked about not trying to convert each other and laughed about the goofy stereotypes of our respective religions. I have appreciated a deeper look into her religion and she has listened thoughtfully to my explanations and stories about healing and prayer, often inserting Bible passages that support the ideas.

I asked her once why Jehovah's Witnesses call the building that they meet in a hall and not a church. Her response was refreshing.

"A church is a gathering of people, but the Kingdom Hall is the place where they meet. It is important that we see that church is not about buildings."

"Brilliant!" I said. Then I envisioned a church business meeting in which the majority of time wasn't spent about roofs, air conditioners and snow shoveling, but about healing, loving and supporting our community, and loving and supporting each other. Wow.

I whipped out a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy and read the definition of church.

CHURCH. The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle. The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick.

"Wonderful!" she said. "You don't believe that church is a building either!"

Hmmm... I thought. This was a pretty good reminder.

In the Christian Science church, its pastor is the Bible and Science and Health. The only other religion I know that has books as their spiritual leader is the Sikh religion. The last of the ten Gurus to lead the Sikh faith, Guru Gobind Singh, announced that he would be the last personal Guru and that thereafter, Sikhs were to regard the sacred book Adi Granth as their teacher which is a consolidation of the wisdom of all ten Gurus.

I have a tiny Bible and Science and Health set that was once used in WWII. I used it whenever I was backpacking and whenever I traveled, which was often. A friend and I used to hitchhike down to another friend's farm in Missouri. One day, we found an old abandoned church on an adjacent property, sat down and had our church right there. I could have my pastor with me wherever I went.

My favorite word in the definition of church is "whatever." "Whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle." I don't think that the concept of church could be explained any more broadly, Having the foundation of Principle and the expectation of dynamic action "rousing, elevating, healing" gives church a vital dynamism.

No building can even come close to containing such a force.

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