I am a little uneasy blogging about this experience, because I don't want to be misunderstood, but it was such a teachable moment... I want to try. Please know at the outset that this is NOT a slam on our sister church-- Bethany Lutheran, and I am looking forward to many more joint efforts.
We had our outside Sunrise worship gathering in our lot combined with the Lutherans... there were lots of things that distinguished us.... they were dressed up... we were in casual clothes.... we knew contemporary songs, they didn't as well.... they knew the response to "He is risen" and we didn't!
But the biggest divide came after the gathering was over and it was time for breakfast... but first the Lutherans needed to do communion in the sanctuary... the invitation was open and a few of our folks went... BUT when I walked into the fellowship hall 20 minutes after breakfast was to have started and it wasn't even being served... and I looked around and noticed that the gathered body was largely CoJ folks... who were waiting patiently for breakfast... I thought... this is a teachable moment.
How many times do we in the church do what is so important to us at the expense of excluding those who aren't part of the tradition? It was definitely an insider/outsider moment! When we are trying to reach out to others... we must watch these occasions. This morning gave our folks a good taste of what it feels like to be a stranger in foreign territory. The goal is to make strangers feel welcome and want to connect with us and ultimately with God.
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2 comments:
I agree. Hospitality is an important concern. Although the breakfast mixup was probably just a mixup. The pastor had announced breakfast would be ready and the kitchen crew was probably thinking "sez you!" The nice guy who made coffee ... and made coffee throughout... was ready. (first things first!)
When I listen to sermons on the internet, Mars Hill et al, I'm favorably impressed with the lack of church-ese. I can't think of an example of "church-ese" but when it's not there, it's noticeable in a welcoming way. The sermons can be understood by someone attending church for the first time.
I heard a sermon at my old church about why we should bring our Bible to church (mine's simply too heavy) The only thing that accomplishes IMO is to make church members look more pious than the visitor. The welcoming church has pew bibles or projections.
Now to get on my old soapbox. Emphasizing casual clothes is as culturally insensitive as emphasizing dress-up clothes. (singing - and they'll know we are Christian by our clothes, by our clothes) Simplicity, yes, but to dictate the style is simply not in the Bible as I've read it.
While we're noticing differences, since CoJ's used of real dishes was so noticable to me as one of its assets, I noticed the styrofoam.
yeah, but the casual dress is not required, but emphasized so that we can make folks feel comfortable not draw a distinction.
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