Rummaging through the narthex

By Emilie Bouvier

Last summer, I wrote in awe and gratitude how “being church” in Calvary’s narthex looked different than it ever had before in the wake of the uprising following the murder of George Floyd. It was lovely seeing that space usually staged with lemonade and coffeecake then overflowing with an emergency supply of personal care items and an abundance of treats to share at the Community Table set up on the sidewalk to greet and support visitors to George Floyd Square.

In kind of an odd (or perhaps just ordinary) way, it seems the narthex has been an indicator of sorts, reflecting our congregation’s faithful efforts to show up as good neighbors in the struggle. Over the past year our beloved narthex has ranged from meeting space for our Rapid Response Team to a staging area for sidewalk hospitality; from socially distanced coffee hour setup to makeshift greenroom for Sounds of Blackness (a nationally acclaimed vocal and instrumental ensemble) ahead of the George Floyd Memorial concert in the square on the first anniversary of Floyd’s murder.

In these past few weeks this summer, our narthex space has shifted once again – this time piled high with items from the depths of church storage closets and cupboards. Why, you ask? In preparation for huge rummage sale – a full-on purge to prepare our building to be sold to Trellis, a nonprofit affordable housing developer. A partner who will, of course, radically transform this space once again.

 

CALVARY HAS BEEN MY church home for 10 years, and I continue to be amazed by the grit of this small yet fiercely loving congregation and its commitment to love God, care for one another, and be ever challenged in the way of justice.

We were grappling with how to be sustainable as a small congregation in a large and aging building, deep in budgets and tough congregational meetings, when the opportunity to partner with Trellis came to us as an incredible answer to prayer. Here it was, the chance to do what we had often dreamed of, but never had the resources to realize on our own. We could (and did!) choose to transform our large amount of outdated building space into a vibrant asset that concretely serves the needs of the neighborhood and make even our worship space more permeable and conducive to building community beyond the congregation.

“Calvary members were grappling with how to be sustainable as a small congregation in a large and aging building when the opportunity to partner with Trellis came to us as an incredible answer to prayer.”

Now, at a record time of housing shortage, deeply affordable units will be built in our space. Now, we won’t lose our beloved sanctuary, like we once feared. Instead, we will see it transformed into a space more flexible for community use, complete with “soft spaces” like couches and a reading nook. What a beautiful opportunity to make the walls of our worship space more permeable and our space more welcoming and adaptable to sharing it with the neighborhood. What a gift that Trellis welcomes our presence and partnership in this endeavor as they take over ownership and management of the building itself.

 

AH YES, BUT BEFORE any of this ensues, it’s now that time to clean up and clean out the clutter – through, you remember, a huge rummage sale! I know this metaphor is anything but new or creative, but I can’t help but think about how relevant a “rummage sale” is to being church in another non-quite-post-pandemic chapter of our life together.

While Calvary is going through some huge shifts here, I know we’re not alone in navigating new twists and turns in church ministry. We’re not going to be done anytime soon with this business of rummaging through all our past assumptions – thinking through what we keep and what we let go of for yet another wild chapter of “being church.”

The twin pandemics of Covid-19 and structural racism have truly asked a lot of us in terms of adapting to new modes of being that require cleaning out and sometimes starting anew. If you’re feeling weary, stay tuned for some good words on resilience coming soon (including at Bishop’s Theological Conference).

“While Calvary is going through some huge shifts here, I know we’re not alone in navigating new twists and turns in church ministry.”

But for now, as I look from the rooms staged for the mother-of-all-rummage-sales to the sketched drawings of our future campus, I feel so hopeful for a new chapter of worship and ministry in this place. In the rummaging, letting go, and reimagining required of us these days – whether you’re exhausted or energized (or a bit of both) by it all – I hope that you’re catching those glimmers of hope and the Holy Spirit stirring.

And, of course, if want to do a little actual rummaging and enjoy items like these midcentury modern coffee cups that were once in proximity to Grammy-award-winning-rapper Common. (See accompanying photos, and I promise this subtle brag is now over.) Please, here is your official invite to come check out Calvary’s Rummage Sale later this week.