An Anglican church is opening its doors to civil servants of any creed and anyone who’s suffering from the stress of public sector layoffs.
St. Andrew’s Church is hosting a noon-hour service of reflection and hope on Wednesday for anyone of any faith who drops by over their lunch hour. Members of the congregation will be on hand after work, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., to offer individual support and prayer.
What a lovely idea! I hope it helps folks find peace in a troubled t8ime.
One nitpicky note: The article’s been updated to identify St. Andrew’s as Presbyterian, not Anglican.
2 things – first of all, the article has been updated to note it is a Presbyterian church, not an Anglican one. Second, this is a different use of (though maybe not an inappropriate one) the word “sanctuary”. In past, as I understand it, the word has been applied to a safe place to be where the reach of government/law cannot penetrate. The Church was safe from intrusion by the State, being in this world, but not of it. Therefore, much like a modern embassy compound, the State had no right to forcibly remove persons from Churches, where they would sometimes reside for safety. This even occurred in the 80’s, if I recall correctly, when the US Government wouldn’t acknowledge a number of Central American persons were victims of violence in their home countries and some churches around the countries gave ‘sanctuary’ to families in order to avoid deportation. Some lived in those churches for many months.