Inspired by a little-known picture book from the pen of Bethany Tudor, this is a diary, of sorts, where I document some of my thoughts, activities, and ideas as I explore the challenges met by the characters in the story: hard work, the care and nurture of others, housekeeping skills, life changes, charity, community, and cooperation, among others. Like Samuel and Samantha, the ducks in the tale, I struggle and succeed, cope and celebrate, work and play, handling the tasks that come my way. I invite you to join me on my journey.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Too Bad We Can’t Swap

I find it interesting that over the course of just a few days I have found articles that tell me:

1) In England, very old churches with exceptional, traditional architecture (like cathedrals) are closing as places of worship due to a lack of parishioners. Many of these facilities are being remodeled into restaurants, clubs, warehouses, and mosques. See story.

2) In America, the “unchurched,” those folks who were not raised in an atmosphere of regular worship attendance or home devotionals, prefer churches that look more like the medieval cathedrals of old than the contemporary buildings many congregations are choosing to construct nowadays. See story.

How sad that we can’t dismantle some of their gorgeous old churches and reconstruct them over here! I would love to attend church in a building like this. The acoustics for handbells would be phenomenal!

Note: check out a medieval church in Wales that was dismantled and moved to a new location fifty miles away. It can be done.

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