The Center of the Community

1 Comment » Written on September 28th, 2010     
Filed under: Disaster Relief
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When the devastating earthquake hit Haiti on January 12, there was little if any government infrastructure to respond to those in need.  However many churches in Haiti did respond. Churches dispersed food, water, medicine, and shelter. Churches cared for those who were suffering and those who were grieving the loss of loved ones. Although this may be surprising to some in the US, in many local communities in Haiti the church is seen as the center of the community, even by those who are not officially connected to the church.
A few days ago we visited a community of victims of the earthquake who have been given the right to use small plots of ground to build houses. These structures are mostly very small one room buildings, but they are a great improvement over living in crowded tent cities.  Medical Teams International is involved in this community and they took us to see what they are doing. When we arrived we saw the frame of a fairly large building being built by volunteers from Brazil and some Haitians. I asked what the building would be used for and I was told that it would be a clinic, school, and church. In time there is hope that it will be expanded to provide more space for all of these ministries and more. The message to the community is very clear, “This place is for you.”  That building will likely become the center of the community.  This raises a good question for those of us in churches in the US and elsewhere, “What can we do to help make our church become more of a center in our community?”
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One Response to “The Center of the Community”

I think we need to be creative in thinking of how church buildings can be used to benefit more than church members.

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