Dear Friends,
You may have noticed in church that our use of the devotional candle rack near the columbarium has been sort of hard to pin down over the last several months. First, there were concerns about its safety, particularly that some children were using it without adult supervision. So, for a while, the candles went away.
We attempted to bring it back. We had a meeting with children and parents after church to talk a little about the history and purpose of this particular devotional tool, and explained the importance of parental supervision. We also offered a little table next to it that would be easier for the smaller children to reach that had battery powered tea lights that the children could use on their own any time they wanted.
Unfortunately, a couple of months ago, our concerns were realized when there was a small fire. We don’t know how it started, because no one was watching the candle stand at that time. Thankfully, a few people noticed it early and acted quickly and were able to get it extinguished before it got out of control. Remember, our church (and the wood that was used to build it) is over 160 years old. It could have been a real disaster.
So, the next day, the tea lights in the stand were replaced with battery-powered candles.
Since then, I’ve heard from a few people about the pastoral impact of that decision. The prayerful act of lighting a candle was not met by flipping the switch on the bottom of the battery candles. And I do understand that. There is a reason that fire has been used as a focal point for worship as long as there has been worship. If I’m being completely transparent – it’s the same reason I’ve tried to move away from having battery candles on the altar.
In a church, usually there are only two kinds of things that can override just about anything else in decision making: 1) pastoral needs, and 2) safety needs. In this case, these two needs were in conflict.
After lots of personal consideration about this situation, and conversations with those who were pastorally affected, as well as consultations with our Vestry and Staff, I have decided to reintroduce wax candles into the votive stand – but with some additional safety precautions. First, the votive stand will be moved to the outer wall – the curved wall around the columbarium. Hopefully this will make it more visible for more of us so we can all help keep an eye on it. Additionally, a procedure has been developed for ensuring that the candles are extinguished before everyone leaves the building on Sundays. Finally, the stick candle-lighters are being removed. Part of the safety concern is the way fire is moved from one candle to another, and whether or not that lighter is fully extinguished every time. Instead, an electric candle lighter will be attached to the votive stand, and that will be used light candles.
Hopefully, these changes will be enough to make the votive stand safe to use again in a way that is meaningful for those who use it. And, while we remain committed to the fact that children are as welcomed and wanted at Trinity as anyone else, I do encourage parents – particularly parents of small children – to be sure to provide supervision for your children if you choose to allow them to use this devotional tool. Moreover, if you would like your children to know more about the votive stand (or anything else related to our worship) I encourage you to have them speak with me. I am always delighted when children express their curiosity about the church!
We’ll keep an eye on this new iteration of the votive stand. I ask that you help me with that. If further safety concerns arise, we may have to remove it again for a time while we consider what solutions we might try next. Thank you for your patience as we try to meet everyone’s pastoral and spiritual needs as best we can while also making sure that Trinity continues to be a safe place for all of us, all the time.
Blessings,
Jon+