Big events and daily lives
08/09/13 05:20
We’ve got a busy morning at the church. As I prepare for the day, I’m not sure that I am remembering all of the things that we have got going on. Let’s see . . . it is “Bring a Friend to Church Sunday.” In a more traditional congregation like ours, we get out of practice at the simple skill of inviting others to join us. The statistics are clear: church growth depends on individual invitations by members. But it takes some effort to make that invitation and our church is a comfortable size. So a couple of times a year, we make a special effort to encourage our people to make the invitations to their friends and neighbors.
Today is the “blessing of the backpacks.” There are a lot of churches that have a form of this practice of highlighting the return of children to school each fall. The children bring their backpacks to church and we offer a special time of prayer and blessing for the children. It isn’t so much that we bless the backpacks as we bless the children. We pray for a successful and safe school year for all.
Today is “September Fair.” It is our version of a church school carnival. There are special events and activities for children as we kick off another year of weekly church school. This is an event that is largely influenced by an imitation of other churches. Other churches rent bounce houses for their fall kickoff events. We do too. Other churches advertise lots of fun events for children. We do too. Sometimes the planning sessions for our fall events are mostly conversations about what other churches do. I wonder if it really has much impact on the learning of the children or the numbers of children who become involved in our programs. But I am no expert in advertising and I don’t fully understand the dynamics of family decision-making in regards to church and other priorities.
We are having a potluck lunch after church. Potlucks at our church, as other churches, are largely successful. People bring lots of good food to share. The fellowship of having a meal together is a good way for people to get to know each other and to develop relationships.
Our church participates in “40 Days of Prayer for Children” each year. Individual sign up to offer prayers each day for 40 days as we think and pray for the children of the world. Children are often the innocent and defenseless victims of wars and displacements and many other world events. And they often lack a voice in political processes. Our prayers help to remind us of the needs of children. As we raise awareness in our community, we also can become more effective advocates for children and their needs.
It seems to me that there is a trend in the church to move towards more big events. I sometimes describe some of the ministries of the church as “event based.” It is unlikely that we will have very many families that are willing to make a commitment to attend church every Sunday. Our weekly programs have to be designed as “stand alone” programs that are not dependent on the same children participating week to week. We delight in the presence of children, but know that we will see them less often than we’d like. It seems to be the reality of busy contemporary families. They have a lot of activities that demand their time and attention. And, for many families, church is just one among many organizations and events in their lives. We no longer enjoy a privileged position of being a higher priority for the family than other organizations and activities. When there is a soccer tournament on a Sunday morning, the family is drawn away from church. When the pressures of busy living are at their greatest, church is one thing that can be skipped. So instead of thinking in terms of regular, weekly programs, we tend to plan in terms of events. There is some thinking that if we make our events big enough, the people will come. We plan big events in the hopes that we can compete with other events and gain the attention of our families.
In the midst of all of the busyness, activities, and events, I believe that we are also called to be a presence in our community. We need to be available every week so that people can come to us when they have a need. We need to offer our prayers every week and not just the weeks when there are big events planned.
Presence isn’t measured in numbers. Endurance doesn’t come from making the biggest splash. Our life as a church isn’t just about the festival Sundays and big events that we plan. It is also about the day-to-day persistence and resilience that keeps us available for the people of our community. Families who live busy and hectic lives need to know that we are there every Sunday, even when they are elsewhere. Our community needs regular prayers, even when its attention is distracted – maybe especially when its attention is distracted.
The sermon will be short today. There is a lot of other activity in our busy life together. I hope that it is meaningful and well crafted. The impact of sermons is not a product of how many minutes they consume. And the purpose of preaching is to proclaim the good news of the Gospel, not to draw attention to the preacher. It isn’t a goal to have people going away from church impressed with the preacher. Our goal is to have people going away from church with the spiritual resources for their lives. I don’t care if they remember the sermon, but I hope they remember the scriptures. And I hope that they remember that we are there for them every day.
And to be present every day we need to remember not just the big events, but also the day-to-day business of visiting, praying, teaching, planning, studying and being a church.
The big events of today will soon be over. But the presence of our church in the community continues long beyond the span of our time on this earth.
Today is the “blessing of the backpacks.” There are a lot of churches that have a form of this practice of highlighting the return of children to school each fall. The children bring their backpacks to church and we offer a special time of prayer and blessing for the children. It isn’t so much that we bless the backpacks as we bless the children. We pray for a successful and safe school year for all.
Today is “September Fair.” It is our version of a church school carnival. There are special events and activities for children as we kick off another year of weekly church school. This is an event that is largely influenced by an imitation of other churches. Other churches rent bounce houses for their fall kickoff events. We do too. Other churches advertise lots of fun events for children. We do too. Sometimes the planning sessions for our fall events are mostly conversations about what other churches do. I wonder if it really has much impact on the learning of the children or the numbers of children who become involved in our programs. But I am no expert in advertising and I don’t fully understand the dynamics of family decision-making in regards to church and other priorities.
We are having a potluck lunch after church. Potlucks at our church, as other churches, are largely successful. People bring lots of good food to share. The fellowship of having a meal together is a good way for people to get to know each other and to develop relationships.
Our church participates in “40 Days of Prayer for Children” each year. Individual sign up to offer prayers each day for 40 days as we think and pray for the children of the world. Children are often the innocent and defenseless victims of wars and displacements and many other world events. And they often lack a voice in political processes. Our prayers help to remind us of the needs of children. As we raise awareness in our community, we also can become more effective advocates for children and their needs.
It seems to me that there is a trend in the church to move towards more big events. I sometimes describe some of the ministries of the church as “event based.” It is unlikely that we will have very many families that are willing to make a commitment to attend church every Sunday. Our weekly programs have to be designed as “stand alone” programs that are not dependent on the same children participating week to week. We delight in the presence of children, but know that we will see them less often than we’d like. It seems to be the reality of busy contemporary families. They have a lot of activities that demand their time and attention. And, for many families, church is just one among many organizations and events in their lives. We no longer enjoy a privileged position of being a higher priority for the family than other organizations and activities. When there is a soccer tournament on a Sunday morning, the family is drawn away from church. When the pressures of busy living are at their greatest, church is one thing that can be skipped. So instead of thinking in terms of regular, weekly programs, we tend to plan in terms of events. There is some thinking that if we make our events big enough, the people will come. We plan big events in the hopes that we can compete with other events and gain the attention of our families.
In the midst of all of the busyness, activities, and events, I believe that we are also called to be a presence in our community. We need to be available every week so that people can come to us when they have a need. We need to offer our prayers every week and not just the weeks when there are big events planned.
Presence isn’t measured in numbers. Endurance doesn’t come from making the biggest splash. Our life as a church isn’t just about the festival Sundays and big events that we plan. It is also about the day-to-day persistence and resilience that keeps us available for the people of our community. Families who live busy and hectic lives need to know that we are there every Sunday, even when they are elsewhere. Our community needs regular prayers, even when its attention is distracted – maybe especially when its attention is distracted.
The sermon will be short today. There is a lot of other activity in our busy life together. I hope that it is meaningful and well crafted. The impact of sermons is not a product of how many minutes they consume. And the purpose of preaching is to proclaim the good news of the Gospel, not to draw attention to the preacher. It isn’t a goal to have people going away from church impressed with the preacher. Our goal is to have people going away from church with the spiritual resources for their lives. I don’t care if they remember the sermon, but I hope they remember the scriptures. And I hope that they remember that we are there for them every day.
And to be present every day we need to remember not just the big events, but also the day-to-day business of visiting, praying, teaching, planning, studying and being a church.
The big events of today will soon be over. But the presence of our church in the community continues long beyond the span of our time on this earth.