During our Minister of Music search committee’s courtship with Bob Gallagher, I agreed to meet Bob in Washington, D.C. for a few hours of conversation. He suggested we meet At St. Matthew’s Cathedral, where he once served as organist.
I arrived before Bob did, and spent a few minutes observing as people entered the cathedral, slipped into a vacant pew and bowed their heads in prayer. After a few moments they stood and left. They were not there for a formal service, meeting with a priest or listening to music. They were there for a respite from their routine, for a quiet moment with God.
Recently we have had a request to keep the doors of our Chapel unlocked during the hours the church office is open. Our practice, as you know, has been to keep all our external doors closed and locked during the day in order to assure the parents of the children in our Preschool Development Center that their children are safe from unwanted, unauthorized visitors. It is a wise policy that few of our members question.
Now we think we have a way we can keep our Chapel open for prayer and meditation each workday. The main doors to the Chapel will be open each day by 9:00 a.m. and will remain open until 5:00 p.m. You may come and go as you wish, sit where you like, pray silently or aloud, read from one of the pew Bibles or simply sit quietly and ponder.
We will secure the door that leads from the narthex of the Chapel into the rest of the church, as well as the door from the baptistery dressing room into the Chapel Hall. That will ensure that no one can use the open Chapel to access our preschool or office areas.
If you need to see a staff member, access a restroom or check with the church office, you may exit the Chapel building and ask to enter at the church office entrance. We are always glad to see you.
As always, let us know if this open door policy is helpful, or if we can do anything to assist you to help you in your walk in faith. We are open for prayer.
Blessings,
Mike