GRACE CHURCH REQUESTS GRACE

“And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.  And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not:  for he that is not against us is for us.” (Luke 9:49-50)

Last night, I did something I never thought I’d do.  I spoke out boldly, confidently, and passionately on behalf of the (mostly) theologically liberal Grace Congregational Church of Framingham.  True, it’s something that quite a few  of my fellow evangelicals and Pentecostals probably would not have done.  I’m very glad that I did it!  Grace Congregational Church has been in existence in Framingham for over a hundred years.  For decades, the church owned a beautiful gothic stone facility on Union Avenue in downtown Framingham.  In the past fifteen years, the church has fallen on hard times.  The congregation which at one time numbered around six hundred has dwindled to about fifty.  They were renting their building to a thriving Brazilian Presbyterian congregation.  Ultimately, it made sense to take the painful step of selling the Union Avenue facility to the Brazilians and rent their old building from them.  Grace Congregational’s next step was to purchase the former Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall located in a residential neighborhood of Framingham’s northside.  The site is perfect for the much smaller but close-knit congregation.  The Kingdom Hall had a number of problems, including mold, and was really not worth renovating.  Grace Church legally demolished the former Kingdom Hall in January and well all “H-E - double hockey sticks” broke loose from the neighborhood.  It seems that having a church in the neighborhood is a TREMENDOUS burden and hardship.  For the past several months, there has been a fight to stop Grace Church’s project.  

Last night the proposal went before Framingham’s Zoning Board of Appeals.  Present were thirty-five adults from Grace Church (which is virtually all of their present adult membership), their attorney, and their architect.  On the opposite side were several angry neighbors and several neutral Town Meeting members.  I was a little disappointed that only two area clergy showed up to speak on behalf of Grace Church:  Father John Murphy of the (Roman Catholic) Sons of Mary and me.  Both Murphy and I spoke on Grace Church’s behalf.  I compared Grace Church’splight to “something you would see on a Hallmark T.V. movie” , commended their sticking together as a family, and complimented them for the many good works they have done in Framingham.  (As a good evangelical, I know that it’s not the works that get you into Heaven, it’s the blood of Jesus, but the fact is, they HAVE done many good works.)  When I finished speaking, I got a big round of applause from the Grace Church congregants who were present.  Afterward, several shook my hand.  Honestly, I couldn’t help but compare this with the lukewarm receptions I’ve received when I’ve spoken at Assemblies of God business meetings.  Well, that thing about a prophet not being honored by his own IS often true.  

I think the Z.B.A. will ultimately rule in their favor, but then it’s on to the Planning Board and a long tough fight ahead.  I’m mindful of Luke 9:49-50 and I wish Grace Church success regarding this project.