Two Sundays Ago

I am a little hesitant to write this, but it has been on my mind for two weeks. So here goes...

In my younger years I attended one of the three local United Methodist churches here in the Bremen area. Yes, there are three UMC churches within a few-mile radius of my house here in town. According to http://www.city-data.com/city/Bremen-Indiana.html, our town has a 2007 population of 4,643 people. (Just a side bar, that is a ratio of 1547.67 residents per UMC church. According to the Bremen Enquirer, there are 16 total Bremen-area churches. That is a ratio of 290.19 residents per church.)

Two Sunday ago, my mom invited me to attend Grace UMC here in Bremen. This is the church that I attended from when I was born through high school and I still attend a few times a year. However, this service was very different from past services.

The place was packed.

Why?

Two of the three UMC churches here in Bremen are working on a possible merger. These two churches are situated only blocks from each other on Montgomery Street.

Two Sundays ago was the first combined service. I guess you could say it was kind of a "trial" or "experiment."

It was great!

However, as I scanned the congregation, a startling, even troubling, realization entered my mind.

Why?

These two churches kind of symbolize something much broader that pervades the contemporary church.

Here we have two churches of the same denomination only blocks from each other who are not currently one, united.

Scanning the congregation, I realized that these few blocks have split families and friends for years, even generations.

While this is one specific situation, I think it is symptomatic of a much broader and complex issue that has left me a bit troubled.

I don't think these divisions are anything close to what Jesus, his disciples, and the early church had in mind.

If we followers of Jesus can't overcome the walls that separate our own churches, how can we expect to break down the walls that separate us from those who don't follow Jesus?

Salem and Grace, way to be leaders in breaking down these walls.