Today in Christchurch
was a lovely sunny day. After a lazy morning we went to the South City Mall to
have some lunch. We then wandered up Colombo Street to see how close to the inner
city we could get. The three days after the big earthquake in February last
year I wandered around the inner-city Central Business District and saw the
absolute devastation that happened. This walk brought back many memories of
that time. Now as we wandered up Colombo Street there were many gaps and empty
sections where buildings had been pulled down. There were empty buildings,
damaged buildings and constantly you could hear the noise of cranes and
machinery that is slowly but safely pulling old buildings down. There was a
building that looked fine, but a crane was being used to empty it of furniture
floor by floor. In the background a big high building with a definite lean on
it, has been stripped of a façade and is slowly being pulled apart floor by
floor. As we stood by wire fences the historic façade of an old iconic building
was being chewed away by a massive machine that a little boy standing watching
said, “Looks like a dinosaur!”
There were people like us coming down the road to watch the machines or
perhaps see the damage. Quite a crowd was at each vantage point, many taking
photos.
A quiet reverence
The thing that hit me was that there was a quiet reverence as people
watched. It was a cheerful summer’s day, with people in bright summer attire, (Gee the young women are wearing low tops and short dresses or shorts this season! - not that I was looking.) but there was a certain sadness that hung in the air as we watched the buildings
being destroyed, and as we stood amongst empty buildings yet to be destroyed.
People when they spoke did so in whispers and walked away in silence. Had we
been standing where a year and a half ago there would have been bustling, busy traffic,
with shoppers and office workers going madly about their business. Buskers would have been playing in
the streets, music playing from shops and the constant clatter of walking feet and
conversation. Now it was deserted, except for these people who looked like
mourners at a funeral. It was an interesting experience.
Rebuild
I hope the city will
be able to rebuild something positive again. While I would not want to live in
Christchurch, it is a lively city with a particular culture and ethos. It would
be a shame if NZ lost that. There are so many old churches destroyed. My wife and I got talking. If we were ministering in one of those churches, what would you do with the insurance or earthquake commission payout? Would you do a building focused on a worship centre? Would it be a more community orientated building? It would be a challenging dilemma. Perhaps it is an opportunity for the Churches to become more "real"?
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