A Small Church, a Big Idea

How a church spark an idea for a new kind of community

He ushered me into the sanctuary. Instrumental worship music was playing softly through the speakers.

Scattered members sat in the pews, and shouts of praise rang through the air. Burst of tongues, a spiritual language, came from the praise of the people.

I didn’t know what to expect when my friend invited me to church on Sunday. He and I talked about the Gospel one day, and he asked if I wanted to join him on a Sunday.

I said yes because I have been looking for a church to settle down in. It wasn’t a big church compared to Vox in Branford. There, I felt lost, another number in the crowd. Here, I felt like an individual in a community.

I counted, and there must’ve been 30 members total in the small church. A church that could hold 100 members or more. I sat there in reverence and was grateful for the opportunity to worship with my friend.

The choir sang, and their voices filled the room with utterances towards God. I’m not the most emotional person these days. However, it was moving to see others give their worship to an invisible God.

The worship session ended, and the Apostle came up to give a word. He spoke about the Kingdom of God being in us, and the Gospel comes inside us, if I remember correctly.

He was passionate about the message and made some points about being a Christian.

I appreciated the service as it ended and introduced myself to the congregation. I met with my friend and shared with him my experience.

It was pretty cool to be a part of a community that outwardly praised God and seemed to be passionate about their faith. He asked if I’d come back, and I said maybe.

Maybe because I don’t believe it’s the type of community I want to settle in. I’m looking for a bigger church and less emotion. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated the worship. I felt like I didn’t fit in, though.

After the service, it had me wondering. What if I could gather 30 people under one roof to discuss philosophy, psychology, or neuroscience?

If I had speakers who would present to the members their lecture and information about what interested them or their area of study.

My mind’s vision is a group of people in a half circle meeting once a week, discussing various topics. It’d be different, and I’d think it’d be fun to have that kind of community.

My thought is that it wouldn’t replace church. Rather, add to my own dynamic in the community. A place for free thinkers, a community that would be interested in public speaking, a safe place to speak one’s mind.

The way I operate is if I have an idea, then I immediately build on it. Risk is a part of the journey, and failure can be an option, but at the same time, you’ll never know until you try.

I came up with a name, The Spiral Sanctuary. A name that recently came out of my theory of Recursive Identity Modulation. A self-aware spiral of behaviors that modulates itself as you become more aware of them.

The Spiral Sanctuary is a space for thinkers, learners, and curious minds to gather, share ideas, and grow together.

I made a website, a Facebook group, and a Meetup group. I told friends about it, and I sent the invites. So far, seven people are interested. Now all I need is a space to host the event.

If I have 3-5 people in the beginning to experiment with the idea, then the bigger picture would grow into other community-based lectures. A hub of networks that would gather together to discuss topics like philosophy and its application.

I see guest speakers coming to a place where new people can meet and become friends. I see branches of projects stemming from the hub and giving back to the community.

It may not work out, but it’s possible that the idea can spark a fuse and blow up.

I’m willing to try to take a step in public speaking and teaching. All that to say, I’m excited to attempt this new project. If you’re interested, you can find out more on the website: thespiralsanctuary.org and facebook.com/thespiralsanctuary.

This year has been great. I’ve stabilized so much and have come a long way from where I was a couple of years and even five years ago. I wrote a book, Committed: A Memoir from the Edge of Madness and Mercy, and I’m working on the sequel, Commited: Mercy in the Machine.

I have other projects I want to invest time and money into. I think this one is worth it, and it could help my other projects.

I’m not the same man I was five years ago. I’m building again — with purpose.

Anyway, take a risk and fail, then learn from it and do it again, but better.

~Barnaby