A Church in the Mall?

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For a little over a year, I have been attending a church without a building.

Well, it's not that our church doesn’t meet in a building. We do. Another church has very graciously has let us use their building in the afternoons for our church services, which has been a real blessing.

But for the last year our church has been on the lookout for a place of our own.

The Mall

I’ve written about our less-than-full local mall several times over the past couple of years, and I thought it would make a great place for a church. It could help the mall, too.

As I walked past the empty stores, I noticed several spaces would be a perfect fit for a church of our size. I have to admit — I got excited.

Well, I shouldn’t have gotten so excited. Several leaders of my church had already contacted the mall about leasing a space.

The mall management said it was against their policy to lease to a church.

Bummer!

At least the mall management let us have a Bible study in the hallway.

That was nice, but there were still several empty retail spaces that ideal for a church.

But it wasn’t meant to be.

The Sort-of-Mall in Vegas

A few weeks later, I was attending a convention in Las Vegas, and I was walking through an interior hallway between the Luxor and Mandalay Bay.

Hallway is probably the wrong word.

There were retail stores, restaurants, and many shops on both sides of the hallway. In fact, it felt like a mall.

As I was walking, I caught a glimpse of a name along one of the walls.

“Chapel.”

Chapel. That means it was a church — inside the walkway-mall.

How could that be?

How could a mall in Las Vegas allow a church, but our little mall in Missoula wouldn’t?

I had to check it out.

Not What I Expected

And that’s when I noticed.

It wasn’t a church.

It wasn’t a wedding chapel or small place where people could come and pray.

I stared at the display window.

No crosses. No Bibles. No inspiring posters.

Nothing to indicate it was a Christian anyting … let alone a church.

The display was filled with … hats.

Chapel was a hat store.

How could something called “Chapel” be a hat store?

A Clever Play on Words

I wandered through my memory banks trying to recall my two years of high school French taken about 60 years ago.

I was pretty sure “hat” in French was “chapeau.”

Curious, I turned to a couple of my AI tools to figure out why a hat store would call itself “Chapel.”

Copilot agreed with me that hat in French was “chapeau,” but added:

“The name "Chapel" for a hat store is actually quite clever … It's a fun play on words that adds a bit of charm and intrigue to the store's branding.”
Copilot

My trusty ChatGPT elaborated:

“The name ‘Chapel’ for a hat store is likely a clever play on words. In French, the word chapel (or chapeau) means "hat." Using "Chapel" as the name for a hat store could be a stylish and sophisticated nod to the French origin of the word. Additionally, the name might evoke a sense of reverence or importance, suggesting that hats are elevated to an art form or treated with special significance in that store.”
ChatGPT

Even though my AI tools thought it was clever, I have to admit I was a little bummed.

I was hoping for a church in the mall. Any mall. Vegas or Missoula.

Trusting God’s Plan

That means we’ll probably have to rely on God to show us where He wants us to meet.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
James 1:5 (ESV)

As I think about it, that is probably the best option.