St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Clay Center, KS

THE REAL BUDDHA BAR

I recently heard a story on the radio about a group of Zen Buddhist monks in Tokyo, Japan. They realized that their Temple USED to play a central part in community life. A place for social and personal support, as well as for worship. But this was no longer true. People did not gather in the Temple "just to be together." And younger people were notable most absent. How could they restore this role that in the past was so important? Well, they opened up some bars in the city! There are about 10,000 bars in Tokyo; most of them the size of an average living room in the United States. This is one way the monks found to "go where the flock is!" As well as contemporary music, chanting can be heard in the bars, and incense is in the air. Customers report discussing dating problems and office politics with the monks - who mix their drinks with a sympathetic ear. Young people seem to feel comfortable with these monks. The story reminded me of our own conversations at St. Paul's. "How can WE connect the Church to our community in a more meaningful way? Our food ministries have brought us into contact with a wide variety of people, but how can we share MORE of our life together?" In a world where differences are more likely than ever to separte people, why do WE keep coming together on a regular basic in spite of those differences? What do we get out of being here? What is the Heart of our community? How can we open that HEART even wider?? What might OUR "Buddha Bar" look like? New Year's Blessings, Susan+