By The Rev. Dr. Nathan Hart
“Why should I care about people who live in the big city?” That was the attitude of a man named Jonah when he thought about the residents of Nineveh. Jonah was irritated about how corrupt and confused Nineveh’s society had become even after he had reluctantly told the residents about forgiveness and mercy. He thought they were a bunch of godless rebels who deserved to suffer the consequences of their sins. He was so depressed that he felt like he wanted to die. That’s some level of cynicism!
But God said to Jonah: “Should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left?” (Jonah 4:11)
God’s question reveals his character. God loves people. God loves people even when we are lost. The whole story of the Bible is that God loves people so much that he gave himself as a loving sacrifice to save us from ourselves. In the ancient Biblical story of Jonah, Jonah was cynical about the 120,000 people of Nineveh, but God desired to save them with His lovingkindness.
Today, the City of Stamford’s population is around 120,000 people. I believe that God is inviting us to view the people of Stamford not with the cynicism and judgmentalism of Jonah but with the lovingkindness of Jesus. This is why Stanwich Church is buying a large building right in the heart of the city. We have a vision to build not only a new sanctuary for Sunday worship but also a café where people can gather for authentic connection throughout the week, enjoy stimulating events, life groups, and more.
When people ask me where the building is located, I like to say that if you threw a dart at a map of Stamford and hit bulls-eye, you’d hit 252 Atlantic Street. That’s where the building is located: right in the heart of the city. It’s a 30,000-square-foot space large enough to hold our God-sized vision.
The heart of God in the heart of the city.
You might be asking, But why should Greenwich care about Stamford? We live in the suburbs for a reason—to avoid city life. The answer is that, by the year 2050, more than two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities. That’s around 7 billion people. According to US Census data, Stamford itself has grown by over ten percent in the last ten years. This rapid growth far outpaced the State’s overall growth of only one percent over the same period and made Stamford the second largest city in Connecticut behind Bridgeport.
There’s an old joke about a bank robber being asked, “Why do you rob banks?” and the robber replies, “Because that’s where the money is!” In the same way, but far more positively, when someone asks me why we’re starting a new church in Stamford, I reply, “Because that’s where the people are!” God loves people and his mission is to seek them, find them, and reveal his lovingkindness to them through the story of the gospel.
Developers understand that when city populations grow, they will need to build more restaurants, apartments, and schools. In the same way, for the church to follow God on his mission of love for people, we will need to plant many more churches in cities. This effort will require enormous generosity of time, talent, and treasure.
Our church’s project will cost more than $13 million. I am profoundly amazed by the sacrificial giving of the congregation so far: we have already given over 86% toward that goal. It’s humbling and inspiring to witness people reflecting the heart of God for the heart of the city.
We are listening to the voice of God who asked Jonah and asks us, “Should I not have concern for that great city?”
To learn more about the Stanwich Stamford Initiative, you can visit https://stanwichchurch.org/stamford-initiative/.
