Saturday, December 5, 1998

Malls could use chapels, chaplains

By Ken Garfield

Knight Ridder Newspapers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Here's a thought on a weekend when the malls are filled with millions of people in need of more than a gift for Grandma.

If the faith community really wants to reach people, why doesn't it get out from under the steeple and set up shop beside Belk?

And if the folks who run our malls really want to keep the customer satisfied -- truly, deeply satisfied -- why don't they offer more than merchandise this holiday season? Why don't they offer ministry?

In that spirit, I believe SouthPark in Charlotte, The Galleria in Rock Hill (S.C.) and all the rest ought to grace us with the presence of chapels and chaplains.

Before you dismiss this as the ranting of a religion editor, think about it: Carolina Place mall in Pineville, for example, is home to 120 stores. Ten of them sell jewelry. Can't the mall get by with 119 stores and nine that sell jewelry, so a chaplain can have a place to reach the lonely and troubled?

I ran the idea by one mall muckety-muck, and she reacted as if I was crazy. "That's one thing I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole," she said, wondering how a mall is supposed to hire a chaplain to please everyone -- Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists and more.

First off, these are private businesses, not tax-supported public schools bound to favor no religion over another. A mall should be able to hire anyone it wants to promote any faith it favors. But I'm not talking about a preacher handing out tracts. I'm talking about a care-giver extending the hand of comfort to whomever needs it.

Ministry has been moving out of the sanctuaries for years, into factories, truck stops and everywhere the masses congregate. Visit the chapel behind the information desk at Charlotte/Douglas airport. Soak up the solemnity, powerful enough to be heard over the roar of jet engines. See how moving it can be when ministry meets people where they are.

Planting faith in the mall is just a logical extension, and it's already being done.

Mass, for example, is offered at Bergen Mall in Paramus, N.J. Shoppers watch on TV monitors.

At Echelon Mall in Voorhees, N.J., volunteers run a teen coffeehouse. The ministry also gives stress management classes. Where better to do that than at a mall full of crying babies and packed parking lots?

The ministry at Burlington Center in Burlington, N.J., offers children's story hour, teen nights, Bible study, health seminars, senior exercise classes, support groups, parenting programs and counseling.

You mean to tell me New Jersey offers more ministry than malls right smack-dab in the heart of the Bible Belt?

Some people go to the mall and see things they think they just can't live without.

I go and see harried mothers swatting and snapping at their children, stopping an inch short of abuse.

I see estranged fathers struggling to entertain their kids during their one visit a week.

I see shoppers filling their credit cards with debt they can't handle.

I see anxious teen-agers struggling to fit in with the crowd at the food court.

I see overworked, underpaid employees.

But in my wildest dreams, I see something more.

I see a chapel in the mall, right there beside the jewelry and blue jean stores, offering a moment's peace and quiet. And I see a chaplain roaming the halls, offering a shoulder to lean on.

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(Ken Garfield is the religion editor at The Charlotte Observer. Write to him at: The Charlotte Observer, 600 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28232.)

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(c) 1998, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.).

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