More from Marj
Book by our very own Marj Carpenter
In this month’s selection for Marj’s Corner I have chosen a story that reminds us of the great work the Presbyterian Women have done in the past and continue to do. I think we too often take our Presbyterian women for granted including our own ladies at times. Our PW group meets every 4th Tuesday in the library. Their February meeting is on the 25th at 2pm. The study they are using this year was written by a friend of mine Eugenia Ann Gamble. Eugenia is a gifted writer and theologian. She will give you something to think about for sure. It’s not too late to get into the study. Alright, I’m stepping down from my soap box. Here’s Marj.
What about Buildings?-from Marj Carpenter’s book “And a Little Bit Farther”
Sometimes well-meaning Presbyterians sit comfortably in their offices and fine churches and make statements about how they should not be providing buildings for people in the world. “We need to help them work for justice, not give them buildings,” they intone. This attitude reminds me of some of our church members who say, “I am closer to God out in the woods or at the lake. That’s why I don’t go to church.” But they don’t seem to want to live in towns, villages, or cities that do not have churches.
People out in the world do need buildings for churches, for hospitals, for seminaries, for schools, and for homes. There is nothing wrong with giving a building. Through the years, the Presbyterian Women have built many buildings, and thank goodness for that. The Good Shepherd Hospital, the best in the Congo, was one of their projects. The road into the Amazon, a read dirt road, and the churches built along that road, was one of their projects…the Bible school building outside Taipei…the Hanil Girls School in Korea. I can go on and on.
In Pakistan, a recent Presbyterian Women’s Birthday Offering built a dormitory for a girl’s school. It was the first new building there since 1898. Christians cannot public school in Pakistan. The Christian school-and yes, the buildings -become very important.
It’s alright to build buildings. It’s difficult to treat a severely ill patient under a palm tree. It’s possible to worship God out in the open, but it’s wonderful to be inside when the rainy season comes. Don’t let anybody convince you that it’s sinful to put a new church on the side of a hill, or to put a new roof on a seminary, or to put the roof back on a school after a hurricane hits.
Buildings help mission around the world.