"Ministry of the Moment”

“There is a church in the mall now!” This has become an often repeated and a strangely versatile sentence of late. It comes in the form of a disbelieving question, a joyful statement, or frequently, as a derogatory exclamation. As average citizens stroll through the Bay Shore Mall in Eureka, Ca, they often stop dead in their tracks and look in amazement at the fact of a church now meeting in the very heart of a commercial centre, devoted to the god of capitalism. “Why have a church in the mall?” they ask. Well why not? It is certainly out of the box and even a bit strange to be sure, but what an opportunity to reach the community with the truth of Jesus Christ.

For much of Church history, the concept of, “Going to church”, has been understood as attending a worship service in a building somewhere and then going somewhere else when it’s over. As the Pastor of this, “Church in the Mall”, I am beginning to discover a whole new dynamic developing within my heart and mind, along with many in our congregation, about what it really means to “go to church”. I have begun calling it, “The Ministry of the Moment”.

We all like to study other people when we go to the mall and if there is one thing that I have observed, it is this; people are shopping for a great many things at the mall. They are shopping for more stuff to cram into the empty void of their lives, in the hope that it will satisfy them. They are shopping for clothes, cosmetics, and accessories to make them more attractive in the hope that someone will love them. Lastly, they are hungry for food that will sustain them and thirsty for a drink that will quench their deepest thirst. Jesus said in John 6:35 "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

We are not selling anything at the mall and that begs the question as to why we are there, but people are definitely shopping for the truth. They are in the market for God’s Grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness, whether they realize it or not.

Rather than looking through stained glass windows at the world outside, the clear glass storefront that encloses the space at the mall, has led many to remark that we are in a fishbowl and the whole world is looking in on us. We have found that whenever the metal gate to the space is open, people naturally wander in and, “The Ministry of the Moment” just happens. I watch people walk by; they peer in, realize what is going on, and then walk through that portal and say, “Please pray for me, my wife is leaving me.” Or, “Please pray for me, I’m dying of cancer.” Or, “I just have some questions about life, love, God, relationships, etc…” so we keep the doors open as much as possible.

But this begs another very powerful question. “What is separating the church from the world?” Stained glass? Clear glass? A metal gate? An imaginary portal? What prevents the church from “Ministering in the Moment”, everyday and everywhere? The answer… NOTHING!!!