Church Bazaar!

Wow! Culture shock. And this is the church culture! However, after being here for a few other events and thinking about my experience in Taiwan, some observations started to make more sense. Everything is not always as we see it and we must trust our Lord that He is in control.

What took place was the use of the building to have a day of craft and food selling. Open the doors to the church and invite the neigborhood in to “shop around”. The premise seems basic enough. However, my immediate reaction came because of the fact that this was mostly taking place in the sanctuary. Yes, thoughts of Jesus overturning tables and yelling at the people in the temple (John 2) came to mind for me. It took a good discussion with Pastor for me to get a better idea of what was really taking place. Then, a visit to the local high school “school festival” also made things “come together.”

First, Pastor said the following. The people in John 2, the ones at the temple who were turning the place into a “market” and a “den of thieves” were people who did not love God any longer. They just used the place to be able to make their money and were using the fact that the public had to “make sacrifices”. So, they set up their booths and started selling the necessary items to make sacrifices to try to please God with those offerings. Pastor made sure I knew that he felt the people here at Nozomi do love God. Pastor went on to explain this bazaar and use of the sanctuary-building was just their way of expressing their hospitality to the neighborhood. This was a way to get people “in the door”.

Second, the way this culture celebrates “school festivals” and other various bazaars is similar to what we do in the states. But, what you have to do is this: combine a community yard sale and a (homecoming) high school reunion-week. The kids here have one day to try to come up with all kinds ways to attract people to their rooms and “special activity”. The older students are able to cook and sell food. Some of them “outsource” and just go to a local shop to buy the food to re-sell. The younger classes (freshman, sophomores) usually find some kind of activity: mazes, games, model-fashion shows, haunted houses. I think you get the idea. It was truly an amazing display of creativity and effort. All this effort for one day. (And the sad part this year was this: none of the family members or past students were allowed to come to the school because of the flu).

Back to the church bazaar and the connection….

This is how I think about all of the above. The goal and hope of people is to get people to come and “see me” or “visit us”. The respect and ability to draw others to your “place” is very important. Perception and the feeling of what others think is key to the ability to “invite and develop relationships”. Here in Japan, the Christian culture is a definite minority. There are few reasons why a person would just walk into the church, so the church tries to make itself available in a way which fits in with what is part of the general Japanese culture.

I think in America we do have a certain amount of this, too. Church bazaars, yard sales, and community activities which are meant to open the doors to the surrounding neighbors. However, the church in America is also usually thought of as a place of refuge when “times are hard”. Also, we have celebrations like weddings which also bring people to our steps.

I guess a few questions come as a result of all this:
• “What activities are bringing people into the church?”
More importantly:
• “What is being done to develop lasting relationships between the visitors and the church family?” – What would make them want to come back again?
• Do the people think: “church = building” or “church = family and friends whom I can count on”?
• What follow up are we doing with our friends and family who are not in fellowship with us as we worship God?

Yes, oh yes, our God reaches down to us individually. Jesus died and rose again for the sins of this one sinner. However, as John 3:16 says – God so loved the world. There are two parts to the cross – the up and down and the left-right. We need to reach out to others as directed by the cross.

Church bazaars can be bazaar, but what is even more weird and perplexing is how we limit God....and how wonderful it is that He can work through it all!!