On Monday morning I went to ask God for a sign and found the cathedral locked. I’m trying hard to read this as a sign to look for God in other places than cathedrals, and not to stop looking for God.
—Vancouver Poet, Adrienne Smith
I work in a church with open doors. And people pop in to use the washroom. Or because they are curious. Sometimes they have a question.
So it isn’t unusual to see strange faces about the place. I like that even today, even in the middle of a big city, a sanctuary can be just that.
Do you go into churches during the week? I mean when you don’t have a meeting or a commitment or something. Walking past a church, do you go in?
When you’re traveling, it seems acceptable, even expected. I’ve popped into churches all over the place under the excuse of tourism but really looking for a quiet space in the middle of the day. Sometimes you find doors wide open, sometimes shut, sometimes the way is blocked by a ticket booth ( I find that one really hard), or there is a notice pinned to the door telling you which door to knock on in the village to find the senora with the key. But it isn’t just a question in faraway places – it’s something to wonder about at home, too.
The question of locked church doors is a tricky one. Ideally, churches should be open to all. Ideally, there would also be no security issues if they were.
Rev. Doug Kendall is the minister in Stittsville, Ontario, and is looking forward to a new addition on the church because then the secretary’s office and his own work space will be in “line of sight to the main doors” and they will be able to have to doors unlocked more frequently. Doug used to minister in downtown Ottawa at Knox Church, and there, he thought a lot about how best to welcome people into the space.
“It seems to be a challenge no matter where you are. In the downtown we were concerned about people getting into the church and hiding out. We had that happen on occasion, and it was a security issue for the office especially. We were not too concerned about theft, or at least I wasn’t. I would have loved to have been able to have the main doors to the church open all day and lock any doors leading elsewhere, but that came with fire code issues in care of emergency. But especially in the downtown it could be an important ministry for people to have open doors.”
So, as a compromise, Knox was open on Wednesdays at lunch, and Doug posted signs on all the doors that said “Welcome – Please knock and come for a visit.”
I remember knocking on the church door in Stratford, Ontario one afternoon. We had been walking around the town, just poking around the shops and seeing the sites, looking forward to the evening’s play. Now, the Presbyterian church in Stratford is big. A glorious red brick monument. And I was curious, as was the Spouse. But the door was locked. So we knocked, not really knowing what to expect. And what a welcome! We were given a full tour, sanctuary to Sunday School rooms, and right up to the door of musician Loreena McKennitt’s studio. (But that was locked and we didn’t knock.) Churches can contain all sorts of surprises.
As a mum trailing little ones, I’ve made use of various churches, stopping in for vital bathroom breaks or just an inside space to sit with the children. We were in one recently, having brazenly walked past the donations box at the front door. I know that churches need help maintaining operating costs, but I have a bit of a hard time with anything that tastes like charging admission to a house of prayer. Blue was in a stroller and I crouched down to talk with him and Beangirl at kid-level, pointing out how the shape of the arches reminded me of the arches at our church at home, when I heard the approaching footsteps. Oh no, they are going to make me pay. Rising awkwardly to my feet, I tried to sort out how to balance tact, gumption and theological opinion. But the gentleman in question wasn’t looking grim or pointing to the box of coins. Instead, he had a pamphlet in his outstretched hand. “This might be useful for you three.” Welcome to our church – a guide for those under 6 years old. Fantastic.
