New Beginnings

Our weeks of orientation have been a whirlwind!  We have been meeting new people constantly.  Wednesday night, we concluded our day of meetings by attending dinner and Bible study, which was attended by a wide demographic of people.  Studying Scripture and praying with people who are homeless or suffering in some form is a very insightful experience.  We were able to hear their needs and what is important to them.  Beyond this, their interpretation of scripture was very enlightening for those of us who have grown up in privilege.

Thursday morning was spent learning about the second place us seminary interns will be working: Arch Street Presbyterian.  Never before have I been in a place where you feel like you’re back in the 1700’s, then can step through a door and appear somewhere in the future.  Arch Street Pres is an OLD Presbyterian church in the heart of the city.  To be more specific, it shares a block with the TALLEST building in Philadelphia – the Comcast Center.  Basically, 2 years ago, Comcast started building this skyscraper and learned they were unable to touch the church as it was a historical landmark.  So, they’ve built AROUND it, adding a glad atrium and elevator to the church in order to separate it from the Comcast center.  It is really an odd sight!

So beyond the appearance of Arch Street Pres is a distinct example of what happens to a church that is too concerned for it’s own survival to risk anything (See earlier post).  The congregation had dwindled down to a worshipping congregation around 10 people.  The session had 7 people.  Now I know many churches that are about this size and I mean no disrespect to small churches by any means.  However, there is something quite unusual about a church in the middle of downtown, next to the largest skyscraper in the city, with a large sanctuary, that struggles to get more than 10 people in worship.  Anyway, Bill, the minister of Broad Street, was approached to help revive this church.  Eventually, the Presbytery had to come in to help shape the vision of the place.  So around a year later, this church is starting to get a glimpse of new life, with Broad Street eyeing possibilities of renewal, a visionary minister, and seminary interns willing to make something happen!  The sky is the limit and it couldn’t be more exciting!

A week into my internship, I am gaining a sense of how things run around here.  Bill, our supervisor, made a point to express to us the importance of building relationships with co-workers in order to get anything done.  There are about 30 people working/volunteering at Broad Street, most are in their 20-30’s, and all are very close-knit group.  These friendships are what allow Broad Street to work how it does.  If someone has an idea, they all come together to figure out how to make it happen.  If we are going to be effective in this place, we must work on nurturing relationships with co-workers and all others who come into the doors of Broad Street.

More details later.  Please share thoughts!