Big ministries, small spaces

By Apostle Shannon McAdam,
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I have brought home many learnings from my fall tour of the British Isles and Western Europe. One of these has particularly stayed with me: how people there have provided impactful, meaningful ministry in small, humble spaces. As I visited congregations in the UK, I noticed that people take great pride in buildings that are much more humble than many of the facilities our congregations have in North America.

And no one seems to let the size of their space limit what is possible to offer as ministry for their community.

In Sutton, I met a congregation that opens every Wednesday morning for coffee with the community. People wander in from the neighbourhood on their morning walks or intentionally head to “their church” for a hot drink, a cookie, and—more importantly—friendly conversation. At long tables in the small church hall, people sit and catch up on their lives. The congregation also has thrift tables around the edge of the room where people can buy household goods, books, and clothes for just a few pence. Most think of it as “their church,” even if they aren’t members and have never been by on a Sunday.

A little later on Wednesday mornings in Clay Cross, members of the congregation and the larger community gather in their sanctuary to divide food into hampers that people in need can purchase for a very nominal amount. After receiving an overwhelming number of tins of baked beans as donations for hampers, a congregation member came up with the idea of also serving a simple hot lunch of beans on toast on Wednesdays for anyone who might be hungry for a hot meal and/or some conversation. “Bean Still” was born, and has become a weekly tradition.

At Stockport, one room serves as sanctuary, dining room, children’s play area, and meeting place. Their kitchen is smaller than my condo kitchen, and yet they served us a generous lunch when we visited, with homemade soups, fresh bread, cheese aplenty, and desserts (complete with custard!).

These places inspired me to think about how often we assume our spaces—not just our churches but also our homes—are too humble or small to invite anyone to. But in reality, people will remember far more about how they felt when they visited, and the quality of the relationships they formed, than about the décor, the size of the space, or how fancy the meal was.

Could you “risk something new” in your space? Is there something simple you could offer that might bring warmth and hope to others’ lives? Because, as Stassi has challenged us to think: “What if we get it right?” We won’t know unless we try!