A church is just a gathering of belivers. It is not a building where we get together, play songs, give offering, listen to sermons, have tea afterwards and leave. It is a community, and that community is suffocating and dieing because we are so screwed up over following patterns. Dont just sing songs because everyone sings songs. Ask yourself, WHY do we sing songs in church? And why do they have to be religious songs? Some of the most intense worship experiences I’ve had have been to pop music and musical soundtracks. Dont just do things because thats what everyone else is doing!

Question Everything!

Assume nothing!

Dont be afraid to change things!

A church should be… like this shop I discovered online. (here is the blog-post I found on it, here is their website) This is the coolest yarn store in the world. Its not about buying yarn, the yarn is there to attract people and to create a space for community. Where people of a common interest (knitting) can get together and form a micro ecosystem. They have movie nights. They have knitting nights. They have a communal journal sitting on their table that you can add to.

A church should be like…. this. An Inderpendent Publishing Resource Center. Or, like This, The 100th Monkey Studio. These people have seen a need for a space where people can create Art, Zines, cards, express themselves in different mediums. And they have carved out that space for people. and the people have come.

These places are like Community Centers. They are just secular churches. They are supposted to be a connecting place where eveyrone comes together. They offer classes and sports and activitys to draw people in. They are there to generate relationships… but I think Community Centers nowadays are just hollow shells of what they should be. A place that feels like home. A place where strangers are friends you havent met yet. A place where you feel relaxed and supported and loved and happy.

When people give speeches, sometimes they say “the most important thing in life is….” I collect these answers. It is always people, friendships. These unpredictable, uncontrolable, confusing creatures called humans seem to be the most important things in this life. But Australia’s culture is becomeing more and more isolating, consult the statistics people, depression, anxiety, wages and career focus are on the rise and relationships with family and freinds are suffering. We have our prioritys around the wrong way.

Maybe this is why I am facinated by spaces that facilitate relationships. these magical places that give us an excuse to connect with other people. Relationships are the most valuable things, more important than security, or success. Its always the things you take for granted that end up being the most important. I have a shelf full of trophys. trophys I worked so hard over and obsessed about. now they are almost meaningless, I am considering throwing them out. Everything is backwards. Everything is the opposite to what we think it is.