Do not
neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have
entertained angels without knowing it.
--Hebrews 13:2 NRSV
I am a big fan of the TV show The Office, the
American version that aired on NBC 2005-2013, about employees at a paper
company in Scranton, PA. (I enjoy the earlier British version too.) I watched
it occasionally when it originally aired, but I really got into it when it came
to Netflix and I could binge watch it in a relatively short amount of time. Apparently,
I’m not alone, because it has become popular again with younger generations who
also stream it online. Its recent popularity has given rise to a podcast where
Jenna Fischer (who played Pam the receptionist) and Angela Kinsey (who played
the accountant Angela) re-watch the series and tell behind the scenes stories
about what it was like making the TV show.
In a recent podcast episode, the former stars of The
Office shared about a TV show episode from the third season when a
character named Phyllis married Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration (you have to
watch the show to get the joke). They shared that the church where the wedding
took place is First Christian Church of North Hollywood Disciples of Christ. If
you pay attention during the wedding reception filmed in the church’s social
hall, you can see a banner with the Disciples of Christ red chalice on it. This
congregation is located near many TV and film studios and is often a filming
location for a traditional-looking church with colonial architecture. The
church web site reveals FCC North Hollywood was the family church on the TV
show 7th Heaven and has appeared in dozens of TV shows,
movies and commercials.
While listening to the podcast and hearing what it was
like to film at the church, at first I thought, “What a cool bit of trivia that
an episode of The Office was filmed at a Disciples of Christ church!”
Then my ears really perked up when I heard the TV stars talk about their own
experiences of the congregation. One of the production staff on the TV show was
married at FCC North Hollywood. Angela Kinsey who is one of the hosts of the
podcast and an actor on the TV show described how she was looking for a church
to attend on Easter Sunday and she chose to attend FCC North Hollywood because
she had driven by it on her way to work. She reported having a great Easter
morning experience. Kinsey went on to share that she took her children to
preschool there as well. (Co-host Jenna Fischer is Roman Catholic and didn’t
have any experience with the Disciples congregation.)
In a nutshell, what was described on the podcast is
how most people relate to a church—if they connect to a church at all. Perhaps
they were raised going to church and when the big holidays of Christmas and
Easter roll around they randomly pick a church to attend with their family. Maybe
they wish to be married in an attractive church sanctuary. Perhaps they have a
need that a church can fill such as childcare or in this case an attractive
location to film a TV show. Most churches don’t have much demand for that last one, but
they knows\ what it’s like to have weddings in their building because it has an
attractive sanctuary, etc. In sum,
most people encounter a church because either they were raised in the church
and return for a major holiday (or a wedding, funeral, etc.) or they have a
specific need the church can meet.
As demographics continue to change, fewer and fewer
people will be raised being a part of a religious community. They will not have
memories from childhood to draw them back in later years. More likely, if they ever
encounter a church it will be when they have a need such as childcare, a group
like AA or a community group that meets in a church building. This means that
if church folks want to meet people who actually know their church exists, they
must show hospitality. People who enter their sacred space must be treated as
honored guests rather than interlopers. Each interaction is an opportunity to
demonstrate the love of Christ. Any time a non-church member enters the church
building and is met by suspicion or a lack of welcome that is a lost
opportunity to show Christ’s love.
Any church that wishes to have a future in a culture which does not value church attendance and church membership must take every opportunity to demonstrate bold hospitality. The church building must be seen as a tool to demonstrate the love of Christ and not an idol to be worshiped or a treasure to be hoarded for a select few. When those blessed interactions occur, community members who encounter the church and its people have seeds of welcome planted in them. Later on, when the inevitable struggles of life occur, the Holy Spirit will remind these folks that there is a place they have experienced where they would be welcome and accepted.
Most churches do not have film crews knocking on their door but they have plenty of other people who are and will. God expects us to open the door
and offer welcome.
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Chase Peeples
No comments:
Post a Comment