Should I have been asked to leave this church?

A long while back I was walking home in the afternoon when the sky started to darken and it began to rain. It wasn't a heavy rain, mind you, but it was still enough rain to soak a person to the skin. I decided to take temporary shelter in a church (a Catholic church, if you must know). It wasn't a Sunday so there wasn't a service in progress.

There was a caretaker who was mowing the lawn and he saw me go inside the front door and he, too, came inside the church but through a different door. I saw him whisper to a lady who was working inside the church (perhaps a secretary?) and she came up to me and asked what I was doing here. I explained I was walking home and I just ducked inside to take shelter from the rain.

She said to me I can't stay, that I had to leave.

I objected politely, saying it's raining and that I don't have an umbrella and that I will be soaked as I have still have many blocks to walk until I reach home.

She handed me a frumpled Zellers plastic shopping bag and said I can use that to cover my head. She asked me to leave.

I left.

Should I have been asked to leave this church?

No, you should not have been asked to leave. There were 2 people there to ensure you did nothing wrong and Christians should show compassion and care about others. It was raining and they should have been more understanding about your situation.

It's a sad world and there are those who do steal, even from a church. The church has to protect itself. Until you are known to someone you are a stranger and do you trust strangers? Probably not. But you expect them to trust you. As for the two staff working at the church, they are there to do their jobs, not to watch over you

Finally there may also be insurance concerns. What if you got injured in the church (slipped, fell etc) They could be opening up the church to a lawsuit.

So long and short, yes they should have asked you to leave. It wasn't being rude, it was being prudent

My opinion

RG

It is a sad day to learn that you were asked to leave. If security was a worry, the door should have been locked. If the door had been left unlocked by mistake, she could have admitted the error before kindly asking you to leave, and preferably explaining why.

Instead of a Zellers bag the lady could have offered you a prayer book to read while you waited out the rain.

It is a sad day to learn that you were asked to leave. If security was a worry, the door should have been locked. If the door had been left unlocked by mistake, she could have admitted the error before kindly asking you to leave, and preferably explaining why.

 

Instead of a Zellers bag the lady could have offered you a prayer book to read while you waited out the rain.

My thoughts exactly... If you don't want people in the church, lock the doors.

I bet if the priest was there, I doubt you would be having a problem.

If you weren't doing anything wrong and were quiet then I really don't see the issue... You think the lady would have been more Christian like... And in a church of all places lol

The Church is private property, they have every right to ask you to leave. No different than walking into an office tower. The fact that the doors were unlocked has nothing to do with it.

What if someone were to walk into your house and you asked them to leave, but they said they won't because you left the door unlocked? Or jumped into your car?

I can understand the church's issue or problem with theft or vandalism. Isn't everyone with regards to their own property?

But one would be more inclined to walk into a church than i would a business... I would have no problem approaching a church than a business to keep shelter... The church is much more welcoming.

So I'm assuming now a days they are not?

If you don't want people in lock the doors, the caretaker came in from another entrance.

Don't think you can compare it to a business, unless the church is there to make money...

I agree they have to take care of the place and watch for theives and vandalism but this wasn't the case for this gentleman... Trying to take shelter from the rain, not much too ask.

If you don't want people in lock the doors...

I don't think in ANY situation, unlocked doors are an invitation for someone to walk in.

Don't think you can compare it to a business, unless the church is there to make money...

Yes, indeed the church is in the business to make money. If they didn't generate any revenue, we wouldn't see them. It costs money to build, maintain and run the everyday dealings of a church. Why do they solicit donations, have fundraisers and operate budgets like any other business, if not?

The Vatican had a revenue of $308 million in 2011 and $8 billion in assets (Source: CNBC).

I don't think in ANY situation, unlocked doors are an invitation for someone to walk in.

 

It's a church not a business, they are usually a little more understanding, but not in this case.

 

 

 

Yes, indeed the church is in the business to make money. If they didn't generate any revenue, we wouldn't see them. It costs money to build, maintain and run the everyday dealings of a church. Why do they solicit donations, have fundraisers and operate budgets like any other business, if not?

 

The Vatican had a revenue of $308 million in 2011 and $8 billion in assets (Source: CNBC).

I get that, I've done my share of going to church... I understand how it operates.

You should see some of the churches or the houses that the priests live in, some are a little over the top... But that's a whole other issue.

Just think it could have been handled better... All I'm going to say.

Should I have been asked to leave this church?

No.

You've just had a revealing encounter with Modern Church: a combination club/community centre that's all about preserving privilege and enforcing rules. I think it's kind of funny that your brief rainy-day experience neatly encapsulates the reason why churches are dying today: you must meet them on their terms, or get out. At most you'll get a plastic bag as a token gesture of concern for your welfare.

You got out. So do a lot of people, and not just on rainy days.

There is exactly one hope for the Christian church today, and it's Pope Francis. And I say this as an atheist: that guy represents everything good about the church's potential. Go out and live in the community. Embrace people and love people, even those who don't follow all the rules you follow. Even people who are visibly deformed. Champion the poor and powerless. Provide an example of selflessness. Shun privilege, and live your ideals. And if someone approaches you in need, embrace them and help them. Don't put them to a test or send them into the rain. Because helping people is what you're THERE for.

Now, ANYbody should be doing this; but Francis embodies this inside a Christian context, and suggests an admirable direction and potential meaning for a very large club indeed.

In an age of corporatism, greed, and materialism, we've got exactly one prominent example I know of that reminds us how human beings SHOULD interact: not with fear, but with concern, caring, and even love.

Your encounter with this dubious building that happened to have religious decorations was none of those things. And that's revealing. Shame on the place, although the individuals involved were only acting from recent example. I hope it gets better now that it has Francis' example for a possible future.

I always thought a church was supposed to be a haven and a refuge for anyone. As the song said, "Anyone is welcome to come in and sit down and pray."

If you had taken a pew and assumed the position would they have bothered you I wonder?

To the OP - You raised a controversial topic - well done.

What does a church now represent?....an insurance problem, a liability, a homeless persons' refuge, a monument to a vague charity?.....what??!! What should a church do to satisfy everyone's needs?

All the guy wanted was a few moments of dry. Instead all he got was get the hell outta here and a plastic bag.

Church:

Should it have a property protection program?

Should it have a security system?

Should it have locked doors after certain hours?

Should it have cameras?

Should it be an exclusive domain?

Should it be open to abuse by thieves & vandals?

What should a church do to satisfy everyone's needs?

I like your questions, and I agree it's cool that the OP raised an complicated (and yes, possibly controversial) question. Happily it's a civil place so this could be interesting.

But I'd phrase the question above differently. I don't actually expect the church to satisfy *everyone's* needs; but I do require it to be true to its own philosophy. If a religion's core philosophy is to care for the weak and powerless, to value love over power, and to be in the community and amongst the people... then it needs to exemplify that, especially in its "home base" buildings. Turning away someone who needs shelter from the rain is a failure as measured by the church's own rules.

And once you're not true to your philosophy, but instead they're just vague principles you discard when it's inconvenient, then... well, okay. Now you're just a fancy clubhouse with some odd interior decoration. Forfeit your tax exemption and go into business like everyone else.

I was gonna write a lot, but I agree with MightyPen :-)

Somet'ing that might muddy the waters further. Were these two persons actually representatives of the church, or simply bonded employees, perhaps a cleaner and a grounds person? At my own house a maid might be in cleaning and not lock the door, but if the neighborhood kids had entered (as has happened) when they found no one answered, yes I would expect her to ask them to leave. Was there a true representative of the church readily available? If not, then it is cloudy.