Our Landscape. And Our Landscape of the Heart.
by Richard Dahlstrom, Senior Pastor

Beginning December 11th, the physical landscape of the little piece of earth entrusted to our community will begin to change shape. There will be fences erected. Then houses will disappear, followed by excavations, and foundations, and eventually walls and roofs, and interior artistry, until finally, 41 weeks later, a new dwelling for worship will have fully materialized.

Having just returned from Europe, where I was teaching during early December, I'm mindful of the relationship of physical space to worship. My first Sunday over there, I visited a worship service in a massive cathedral in Salzburg with friends. As I wrote elsewhere, it was a powerful worship experience. On the other hand, my second Sunday in Europe, I visited a church that meets in a 'town hall'. The two spaces had the effect of emphasizing, respectively, either the vertical or horizontal components involved in worship. One space had vaulted ceilings and frescoes, the other fluorescent lights and cheap coffee. One called you upward. The other called you to look around at the people. Which physical landscape more accurately portrays the real meaning of 'church'?

The question is complex actually. One could argue that the utilitarianism of the town hall cheapens God, while the cathedral testifies through the very essence of the space of God's majesty, power, and mystery. But there's the reality that churches in large cathedrals are dying, while those in warehouses, school buildings, homes, and even factories and shopping malls seems to be growing. What are we to learn from these trends, and what do they mean for us as we break ground? Several things come to mind:

1. The landscape of the heart is more important than the landscape of the land. I say this because the church is thriving the most right now in those places where people don't have the means, or perhaps even the freedom, for exquisite structures. In spite of corrugated metal roofing, or thatched roofing, or no roof at all – people are meeting Christ and yielding their entire lives to His reign in many of the poorest places in the world. That this is happening has nothing to do with the architecture of the worship space, and everything to do with the architecture of the heart. And it's because heart architecture is so important that our church council and my own priorities will be directed very little towards the new facility in coming days. We'll be working on creating a more effective culture of prayer in our church, wrestling with what effective shepherding looks like in a larger church, and structuring to help mentor people and raise up new leaders. There's much to do on the people side of the equation, and this must remain the first stone that is laid on the foundation of Christ.
2. There are needs for both vertical and horizontal relationships. Having worshipped in high church and low church, high ceiling cathedral and low ceiling town hall over the course of the past two weeks, I'm convinced that the space we inhabit for worship should facilitate both the horizontal and vertical dimensions of worship. We are, after all, invited to love God and love our neighbor. "On these two commands rest all the Law and the Prophets" Jesus said, which is his way of saying these two things are really all that matter in life. I'm thrilled that our architects have designed space that precisely facilitates both of these things. Vertical? We'll be inhabiting a space that is largely devoted to worship. The lighting, colors, roof shape, windows, and landscape all invite encounter. This stands in contrast with the utilitarian 'multi-purpose' meeting halls that can also function as gymnasiums, trade-show floors, and dance halls. I'm grateful that God is giving us space to encounter the holy and mysterious. But the horizontal aspects are also being addressed, through the large foyer space, quality children's space, and large multi-purpose space on the second floor. Confident that our craftsmen will accurately build these spaces, they will become ours to make human, through creating art, lighting, music, teaching, preaching, praying, forgiving, dedicating children, celebrating covenant relationships through marriage, and so much more. I pray that the vertical and horizontal will become a space where people encounter the reality of God seamlessly at every turn.
3. Our ultimate challenge will be the landscape of our own hearts. It is here that the hard soil of greed, lust, isolation, self-pity, addiction, dishonesty, pride, anger, and so much more will need to be turned under and softened, so that Christ's life can more deeply take root. His life will call us upward and outward. He will challenge our complacency and individualism, or consumerism and isolation. For all of us, it's the soil of our hearts that must be altered if we're to be a community growing in our capacity to be a blessing to this city. Challenging? It makes raising 7 million dollars sound easy by comparison.

So join me in praying on this monumental occasion, both thanking God for what He's done and asking Him to continue the work:

Thanks be to you, O Lord, for your faithfulness to this flock. You've shepherded us with mercy and grace for many decades. You've sustained us, provided for us, forgiveness us, chastened us, and directed us. And now, in your providence and guidance, we are breaking ground on a new place of worship. We pray that as workers tear down structures, You would tear down idolatrous structures in our heart. As the soil is prepared for a new work, may You prepare the soil of our hearts for the new work to be done in and through us. As the craftsman build, we ask that You might build into us, to the end that Your Light will shine through our life together.

Bless the work of our hands for Your purposes and glory. May this new facility be filled with new life, new hope, new relationships. And may your kingdom come and your will be done, at Stone and 80th , as it is in heaven.

In Your matchless name –

Amen

Building a House for Christ
by Dana Cruver, Share Life Hospitality Director

To me, Share Life is the process of building a house for Christ and filling it with the body of Christ. Bethany Community Church is expanding everything: our building, our congregation, our ministries and our hearts; I love being a part of it. I also love telling friends about all the diverse ministries we have at 'My Church.'

Even though we are getting bigger, there are so many ways to connect and be involved. One of my favorite things about Bethany is how we make an intentional effort to be a part of our community. We are reaching out to our neighbors with Bagley tutoring (which is really fun, I currently tutor a 4th grader in preparation for the WASL), Tabitha Place, Walking Prayer on Aurora, and so many more. If you want to be involved, think of anything, and there will probably be a ministry. If there is not already a ministry, it feels like the doors are so far open that you could start one.

My sister Gina and I helped the Share Life team with two desserts for any new attendees at Bethany. We made several phone calls and sent quite a few e-mails; it was wonderful to reach out to so many members of our community. Gina and I typically attend the 5:00 pm service, and afterward we have started going to the community dinner across the street. It is so fun having dinner with new and old friends from church rather than just heading home after the service.

Bethany Community Church is a place where I feel I can relax, learn, vent, explore, and grow. Your church is the biggest family you will ever have. I hope everyone feels like they can call Bethany their home.

Who is our Neighbor?
by Kelly Kursteiner, Share Life Prayer Coordinator

The following is a short article written by Bill Smith, who occasionally attends Bethany on Sundays and the Wednesday evening prayer meetings. Bill has struggled with some difficult things in his own life and he offers a unique perspective in his words below. He reminds us all of the importance of community and the need to reach out to those around us.

Perhaps, as we rethink what it means to "share life" together, we could challenge each other to spend time with at least one person who might bring a different perspective than our own into this world. What does it mean to be neighbors? How does God want to change us personally through this relationship and interaction? Can we see outside of the walls we have erected, sometimes out of self-protection or self-preservation? Can community happen among a diverse population of people?

"I go three or four times a week to CPC [a psychiatry center] where I wash dishes and socialize with people. A lot of the people are social but maybe half, partly because of mental illness, keep to themselves. As a Christian, I used to try to reach out to them a little. More often than not though, I found myself befriending only those who I considered part of the attractive and social group.

Then, at CPC, I saw a woman alone in the corner, drawing. She didn't seem to notice anyone. My first impression was that she was homely. Only a few people even acknowledged or said 'hi' to her. I left her alone. Shortly afterward Pastor Richard, in a sermon, admonished us to love our neighbor. He asked the question, "Who is our neighbor?" I understood one of the points of his message to be that everyone is our neighbor.

Since hearing that message, I've discovered (or rediscovered) the beauty in broken people. That includes me. I've since introduced myself to this woman at CPC and she has displayed a wonderful curiosity, wanting to know a great deal about me. My preconceptions about her were definitely off. She may be a lonely, mentally ill woman but she has just been waiting for someone to open up to her.

I believe we all have people like this woman in our lives. They are our neighbors. Initially, my superficial nature kept me from really getting to know her, but when I opened myself up to the possibility, I was the one who was changed. Through this friendship, God has given me renewed joy and expanded my world."