'The Repair Shop' for church
Ministry as craft, painstakingly refurbishing the past
During the pandemic, my husband and I became obsessed with ‘The Repair Shop’, a British show about restoring objects that have deep meaning for their owners. People bring in musical instruments, paintings, jewelry, furniture - pretty much anything you can think of. The stories about them are fascinating, heartwarming, heartbreaking.
These things mean so much to those who bring them in.
SO many of the objects are related to wartime - I recently saw an episode that featured a mirror a soldier had made for shaving in the trenches during WWI. Lots of elderly people bring in teddy bears they were given as very small children when they were sent away to other countries for safety during WWII.
And at the Repair Shop, there’s a group of craftspeople who lovingly restore these objects for the people who bring them in: Steve the horologist, Will the woodworker, Kirsten the ceramicist, Julie and Amanda the teddy bear ladies.
Each of these people is an expert in one very specialized craft, and they are amazing artists who do ‘sympathetic restorations’ - returning the beloved objects to good form, but not making them brand new. They leave some scars and dents and chips, the signs of the history of the items - and the people who lived with them.
It’s SO beautiful. Everyone cries when they get their restored things back. I’ve never seen my husband cry at any type of show, except when watching the Repair Shop.
People are brought closer to those they love - living and dead - through this kind of restoration, and those who do the repairs have a special touch for both their craft and the way these tangible objects carry love.
I’m starting to think of ministry this way.
Our connection to church is so strong. The buildings themselves, and the objects in them, of course. Every time I sit alone in a sanctuary, I feel the presence of those who have prayed there, worshiped there, mourned and celebrated.
But also the intangibles - the structure of our life with God, the practices of the faith, the depth of community, the preaching and sacraments.
I’m starting to see my own role as carefully receiving the items - and memories - of those who hold them so dear, and doing my best to restore them. Not make them brand new, but preserving the connection between past and future.
Between those who hold their faith so dear, and the love it represents.