Welcome

1 - Outside the Church - front / center

I welcome you, because you are the church. In the first letter of Peter it says: "Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." Think of it: "like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house." We are the church. We also call this building "a church." But the primary meaning of the word church is you, the assembly of the baptized. Maybe it would be better for us to call this building "a house for the church." It's God's house and it's our house. It's where we come to be with God and with each other.

A house for the church could be anything. It could be a grass hut in Africa. It could be a storefront in a mall. It could be a magnificent cathedral. No matter if it's small and humble or vast and expensively decorated, it is holy ground, because this is where we meet God.

The Catholics on the west bank of the Saginaw River decided that they wanted to form a parish and build a "house for the church" in the year 1873. First they built a small "house for the church." In 1881 they built the building we call home today. It is the second oldest existing church building in the diocese of Saginaw. The oldest is St. Michael's in Oakley (near Chesaning).

Normally when a congregation builds a church building, they want it to be large enough to accommodate the congregation, and they want it to be as beautiful as it possibly can. The beauty should begin on the outside. A church building should look inviting to those who pass by. The ancient basilicas had an enclosed garden called an "atrium" with beautiful flowers and plants and a fountain in the center. The purpose of the atrium was to remind people of the Garden of Eden, and to help them to peacefully quiet their hearts and minds so that they could joyfully enter into the presence of God. They considered the interior of the church to be set aside for God and God's family, a place that belonged more to the Kingdom of God than to this world. We might think of our church as the vestibule of heaven.

We had this concept in mind when we renovated our church building. The fence, the fountain, the green spaces, the flowers, plants and trees are meant to create a beautiful area to allow us to quiet our minds and hearts from the business of our daily lives as we prepare to spend some quality time with God. We have to thank our Grounds Committee for their work in beautifying our church grounds. They meet on Thursday evenings and welcome anyone who would like to help.

Since the church is the assembly of the baptized, the gathering procession begins as you leave your homes, arrive here and walk into the church building. When all are gathered inside, we formally begin our worship with a procession and with song. Finally, the doors of a church building are important, because they symbolize the gates of heaven. They should be noble, dignified and inviting. So let us enter through these doors into our "house for the church."