Going to Church
In Our Fair City there is not enough space for all the members of the church to meet together.
When we moved here there was one branch of locals (2nd branch) and two expat branches (1st and 3rd) that met in our building. Our branch (3rd) is mostly made up of families who live in an area at the edge of town where many of the expat schools are clustered. The other expat branch covers the rest of Our Fair City. I do not know the boundaries of the branch of locals.
There is a solid line between the expat and local branches based on passports. The government does not like the idea of non-locals having authority over or influencing locals. So we are not to be in the building at the same time as the locals. Local passport holders are not permitted to attend any of the activities of the expat branches. I’ve heard that about every week someone (not the same person each week) shows up and has to be turned away because they do not have a foreign passport. I do not know if the leaders are allowed to say when the local branch is meeting; active or passive proselyting among local passport holders is prohibited. (I don’t think this information is available on the internet either – at least in english.)
Generally the government is nervous about large organized gatherings of people. And ostentatious displays of religion are similarly outside normal bounds. It is probably a good thing that the normal meeting place is in an office building – it makes it less obvious that there is a movement among the people.
Earlier this year our branch had planned a picnic. Traditionally they have used a private park belonging to one of the gated communities (or villas) out near our home. The reservation was more difficult to make this year than in previous years – maybe in part because the one making the reservation had barely moved in. But in the end a reservation was made. However before the second half of the branch arrived security guards came and stopped anyone else from entering the park. Some in the management of the villa were concerned that we might be a religious group and that we would have a religious meeting there in the park. We moved the picnic over to a smaller park in another community.
In recent years the number of YSA in the city has increased with the number of exchange and study abroad programs , particularly those associated with BYU or BYU-Idaho. I think the 1st branch had trouble fitting into the chapel whenever there were a significant number of visitors, which is probably at least once each month. As a result there was a need to split the downtown branch to create another expat branch (4th).
With four branches and only one meeting house it would normally be tight. With overlapping schedules and a good facility it is possible to have four branches meet in the same meeting house. In some places even more might be made to fit with an extended day. However the prohibition on the 1st, 3rd, and 4th branches being in the building at the same time as the 2nd branch makes it so there is only enough time for three units with full meeting blocks to meet.
The leaders here started the search for more space months ago, and by early June had identified a building not far from where we live that they wanted to use as a meeting house for the 3rd branch. The required paperwork and … were told that there would likely be no action on the request until after the change in government scheduled for November.
On fast Sundays all three expat branches meet in the current meeting house but each has only a 2 hour meeting block. On the other weeks we have to make other accommodations. Although there might be a basement large enough in the branch to accommodate a full sacrament meeting, there would not be enough rooms for all of the classes in any one home. On weeks other than fast Sunday our branch meets in three separate groups in member’s homes. Using conference telephones we have the same speakers, prayers, announcements, and songs. It works pretty well, unless someone hits the hang up button instead of the mute button.
A few weeks ago one of these meetings was interrupted by an insistent knock on the door. I say interrupted, but others present may not have heard it as an interruption: the meeting continued without heed to the knocking. When the knock was not answered immediately it was repeated. One of the brethren sitting near the back of the room went to answer. After a brief exchange in the local language there was no further interruption.
But the interruption did not leave my thoughts. In many lands there have been times where meetings of one or several religious groups have been interfered with, disrupted, or prevented through processes both legal and illegal. Although we have permission from the authorities to meet together, it is not a guaranteed right. It could be rescinded, just as our permission to be in our fair city could.
I am grateful for the chance to be here, and to meet with the other members of our branch. Although it can be harder to keep small children from disrupting the meetings in a house church / teleconference environment I am glad that we have the opportunity to learn from and teach among the saints each week .
When we moved here there was one branch of locals (2nd branch) and two expat branches (1st and 3rd) that met in our building. Our branch (3rd) is mostly made up of families who live in an area at the edge of town where many of the expat schools are clustered. The other expat branch covers the rest of Our Fair City. I do not know the boundaries of the branch of locals.
There is a solid line between the expat and local branches based on passports. The government does not like the idea of non-locals having authority over or influencing locals. So we are not to be in the building at the same time as the locals. Local passport holders are not permitted to attend any of the activities of the expat branches. I’ve heard that about every week someone (not the same person each week) shows up and has to be turned away because they do not have a foreign passport. I do not know if the leaders are allowed to say when the local branch is meeting; active or passive proselyting among local passport holders is prohibited. (I don’t think this information is available on the internet either – at least in english.)
Generally the government is nervous about large organized gatherings of people. And ostentatious displays of religion are similarly outside normal bounds. It is probably a good thing that the normal meeting place is in an office building – it makes it less obvious that there is a movement among the people.
Earlier this year our branch had planned a picnic. Traditionally they have used a private park belonging to one of the gated communities (or villas) out near our home. The reservation was more difficult to make this year than in previous years – maybe in part because the one making the reservation had barely moved in. But in the end a reservation was made. However before the second half of the branch arrived security guards came and stopped anyone else from entering the park. Some in the management of the villa were concerned that we might be a religious group and that we would have a religious meeting there in the park. We moved the picnic over to a smaller park in another community.
In recent years the number of YSA in the city has increased with the number of exchange and study abroad programs , particularly those associated with BYU or BYU-Idaho. I think the 1st branch had trouble fitting into the chapel whenever there were a significant number of visitors, which is probably at least once each month. As a result there was a need to split the downtown branch to create another expat branch (4th).
With four branches and only one meeting house it would normally be tight. With overlapping schedules and a good facility it is possible to have four branches meet in the same meeting house. In some places even more might be made to fit with an extended day. However the prohibition on the 1st, 3rd, and 4th branches being in the building at the same time as the 2nd branch makes it so there is only enough time for three units with full meeting blocks to meet.
The leaders here started the search for more space months ago, and by early June had identified a building not far from where we live that they wanted to use as a meeting house for the 3rd branch. The required paperwork and … were told that there would likely be no action on the request until after the change in government scheduled for November.
On fast Sundays all three expat branches meet in the current meeting house but each has only a 2 hour meeting block. On the other weeks we have to make other accommodations. Although there might be a basement large enough in the branch to accommodate a full sacrament meeting, there would not be enough rooms for all of the classes in any one home. On weeks other than fast Sunday our branch meets in three separate groups in member’s homes. Using conference telephones we have the same speakers, prayers, announcements, and songs. It works pretty well, unless someone hits the hang up button instead of the mute button.
A few weeks ago one of these meetings was interrupted by an insistent knock on the door. I say interrupted, but others present may not have heard it as an interruption: the meeting continued without heed to the knocking. When the knock was not answered immediately it was repeated. One of the brethren sitting near the back of the room went to answer. After a brief exchange in the local language there was no further interruption.
But the interruption did not leave my thoughts. In many lands there have been times where meetings of one or several religious groups have been interfered with, disrupted, or prevented through processes both legal and illegal. Although we have permission from the authorities to meet together, it is not a guaranteed right. It could be rescinded, just as our permission to be in our fair city could.
I am grateful for the chance to be here, and to meet with the other members of our branch. Although it can be harder to keep small children from disrupting the meetings in a house church / teleconference environment I am glad that we have the opportunity to learn from and teach among the saints each week .
posted by Harvey at 3:31 AM
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