Having reflected on many years of visiting missions and serving in a non-liturgical space in Kyiv, I ask myself, is there an argument to be made for establishing Church communities that have no aspirations for permanent parish status, but gather where they can for prayer, fellowship, and perhaps learning and service? Are we comfortable with the possibility that we might have to fine-tune our rite to liturgize effectively in unfamiliar spaces? My initial response to these reflections is to suggest that liturgy in non-liturgical spaces illuminates the qualities of gathering for the privilege of offering liturgy, and embracing the fact that Christian identity need not be shaped solely by a particular parish community. Is there a future for mobile and nimble Church communities that do not aspire to become parishes?
A group of people to meet in a place other than a temple because they cannot afford to build one -- why couldn't they have some sort of makeshift worship space at a home instead? But how can there be an effective practice of charity for the average lay person without a stable network of people?
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