The building project

About once a month, we have been visiting a parish on the edge of Kamembe and speaking at the Sunday worship services. They call us their “parents”, a title which does not sit very easily with us, but which at least encourages us that we are appreciated.
Last Sunday we were told that there was a meeting after church and that we were invited. It turned out that it was to discuss the building project. The current church is house-size (7m x 5m), but can easily accommodate the 20-odd adults and a similar number of children who comprise the typical congregation.
The plan was presented by one of the congregation, a building technician who I work with sometimes. His plans were for a building with a floor area 5 times as big as the current one – total cost 4,800,000 Frw (£4800),excluding the roof, which would be donated from the UK in an agreement with the diocese. The current balance in the building fund is 90,000 Frw – a series of pledges taken at the meeting raised this at least in theory to 220,000 Frw.
This is where our theology and praxis diverge sharply. I can think of half a dozen reasons, practical and theological, why public pledging is a bad idea and I can think of another half a dozen reasons why a huge building project is a bad idea.
For most Christians here, however, a big project like this means a big vision, requiring big faith and big commitment. Their view is that God will reward this faith and commitment by miraculous provision. There is no doubting the willingness to give sacrificially, but there is also no doubting the impracticality of the project. Only a handful of the Christians have any kind of regular employment and that is mostly low-paid. Many others are struggling to survive, to feed and clothe their families, pay school fees and repair earthquake damage to their houses. There are numerous examples around of church buildings which have been started but not finished and we know from experience that over-ambitious building can dominate and drain the life of a small church. Of course, we are being expected to bring a significant amount of money from outside, but I got the feeling that even without that expectation the visionary project would be seen as the way forward.

I took the opportunity to speak, reminding them that Jesus warned would-be disciples about the need to consider carefully before following him. He reminds them that no-one starts a war nor starts to build a tower without being sure that the project can be successfully completed. They listened respectfully enough, but it was clear that I was not being “heard”. Perhaps it’s a sign of maturity when one is able to go against one’s parents’ wishes. In any case, it was at least agreed that nothing should be done until the pastor returns from a training course he is on in Indonesia (see “A sudden goodbye”, 31 Jan)

One question to myself as a postscript - if a rich donor was to read this blog and to send money to build the church, would that be an answer to the faith and prayers of the people? I’m not sure how I answer that!