Man Broke into Ames Church to Watch Porn

That headline made the Ames Tribune on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 (see article below). At the time I thought it odd that it was given a fair amount of space in the paper. It seemed like it wasn't really all that big of a deal. Nothing made it out of the building. No one was hurt. Nothing much was damaged except for some food items that had to be thrown away, and all the things scattered about the church that had to be picked up and put away. It was a nuisance, to be sure. But in the grand scheme of things, it didn't seem worth mentioning to people, except those in leadership to make sure they stay informed.

Since the Tribune article was published, however, this bizarre, but seemingly inconsequential event has taken on a life of it's own in the news media and on the internet. This little local news story has spread from central Iowa (Tribune, Des Moines Register, WOI TV News) to Omaha to Cedar Rapids, but it doesn't stop there. Coverage goes from New York to San Francisco, but it doesn't stop there. This little local news story found it's way to England, the Philippines and even China! It is the source of interesting and very speculative comments on blogs and news sites. Why? Well because it brings together two things that aren't supposed to go together - porn and church. And that has captivated people's imaginations.

Amid all the questions about where the man got the porn in the first place, assumptions by some that it must have been a Catholic Church with deviant priests, a few negative comments about religion in general, and many pronouncements of where this man was heading in the afterlife, I found what to me was the most informed comment. Someone had actually taken the time to find us on the web, cut and paste our logo "Come as you are... you belong", and comment - "I think this guy misunderstood."

At First Christian Church, we try to follow the way of Jesus. Jesus ate with the wrong crowd. He was seen with the wrong people. He graciously received the gifts of ones considered unworthy. We want to let people know that we do want to welcome everyone and that there is a place at the table here for all kinds of people. Here we take hospitality and making people feel welcome seriously. This man would have been welcome to worship with us or break bread with us. But unfortunately, he entered the building after it had been locked up and there was no one there to hear his story or his struggles; no one to help him understand that welcome and hospitality and belonging don't mean "anything goes." We are a community of faith on a journey together. We are here to help one another when we need it, whether that be guidance, prayers, hugs, tears, affirmation or a listening ear. We are all trying to do our best to follow Jesus who shows us a better way of living and learning and loving, and serving a God who is bigger than anything we can think or imagine.

AMES, Iowa, March 11 (UPI) -- An Iowa man allegedly broke into a church and used electronic equipment belonging to the facility to watch pornographic films in the basement, police said.

Ames, Iowa, police said Charles Bentley, 55, was arrested Friday morning after employees of the Ames Community Preschool showed up for work at the First Christian Church and called 911 to report items missing and sounds coming from the basement, the Ames (Iowa) Tribune reported Thursday.

Investigators said Bentley, who may have spent the night at the church, entered the facility and brought items from around the church into the basement and set up a camp site with church-owned items including food, kitchen utensils, clothes, electronic equipment and a 26-inch flat-screen television.

"He kind of made himself at home," said Cmdr. Mike Brennan of the Ames Police Department.

Police said they believe Bentley used the church's equipment to watch pornographic films he was carrying at the time of his arrest. He was charged with second-degree burglary and booked into the Story County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bond

Waiting....

Maybe you've been waiting for a new post to the Bigger God Blog. I read recently that the average person spends 5 years of his or her life waiting in line, 2 years playing telephone tag, and six months sitting at red lights. That's over 7 1/2 years of waiting! What are you waiting for?

Advent is a time of waiting. But what are we waiting for? We know Jesus was born. That already happened, right? We know that the saving power of God's love has been revealed - born in the one from Galilee who walked among us and showed us a different way of living. The Messiah was born. So what are we waiting for in Advent?

The holy waiting of Advent is not idle waiting. Rather, it is a time when we clear away the clutter of our minds and our lives and make room for the Advent - the coming - of Emmanuel - God With Us - in our hearts and minds and spirits. The idea of "no room in the Inn" works here. When God knocks on the door of our soul and wants to be born in us, will there be room? Will we even hear the knock through all the other noise and distraction?

There are various ways we can use this time of holy waiting to open ourselves to the power of God's love to transform our lives. One way is through the discipline of silence. Have you ever tried to quiet your mind and sit in silence? Maybe you could try that this season. Sit in God's presence and listen... in silence. Don't come with your wish list asking God to deliver. Rather, use the silence as a time to empty yourself allowing God space to ask something of you.

What are your ideas about holy waiting? What do you do in this season to prepare to receive that LOVE born at Christmas?

Bigger God Blog

In recent years, religion has gotten a bad name. In part, because there has been a tendency to define things too narrowly. People began to think they could not stay in the religion or church of their upbringing because they simply couldn't believe all the things they thought they had to in order to be part of the group.

At First Christian Church, we believe that God simply cannot be confined to any one way of seeing things or one set of beliefs. We understand that God is bigger than that. God is bigger than religion.

If you have left the church or know of people who have left the church because they didn't think they could question and wonder and be unsure of where they stand on certain doctrinal statements or theological premises, you/they just might find a place at First Christian Church.

Here we don't require ascent to particular statements. We are on a journey together, but we start at different points. We look to the life and teachings of Jesus who says simply, "Follow me." We don't presume to know where that will lead, only that there is life and love and grace on that path.

So, "Come as you are... you belong!"