The Congregational Meeting

I found this in my "edit" box and realized I had never published it! So even though it was written in January of 2009, I'm posting it now:

When people hear of a two hour meeting on a Friday night about the happenings and finances of a church, most don't think, "Oh, fun!" and mean it. But I also think that those people have not been to our church's congregational meetings. If you keep the right perspective and know what to look for, these meetings can be more entertaining than an episode of Gilmore Girls.

It begins with the arrival, as many things do. We all pull into the parking lot around 7:30 or 7:35 for the meeting and find our seats. I always like to sit next to a commentator. A commentator is a person (usually my dad or Uncle Dal or Uncle Dave) who will whisper jokes, comments, or sidebars during especially funny or boring moments. Tonight, I pulled up a chair next to Uncle Dal in a row inhabited by some of my other family members, ensuring plenty of running commentary.

Then we sing as a group. We sing a hymn and it ties us all together and reminds us of why we're there - to worship God in all things. We then pray to remind us again, that this is God's church and that all of our planning and preparing is nothing if God is not with us. I sometimes forget at work meetings that we don't start everything with prayer and it surprises me when our principal just up and starts talking during the meeting. And sometimes I bow my head in a Pavlovian response when we get to the end. Years of church training, I guess.

Then everyone talks about the reports of different committees and councils. This is where the love-fest begins. "Are their any questions about the youth ministry report?" "We love what they are doing!" That's it. That's how most discussions go. They are filled with thanks for what people have done and efforts made and how God has blessed us.

This evenings love-fest ended with Rev. Kellar (a retired pastor who fellowships with us) standing and speaking about how blessed we are as a congregation that we can meet peacefully, how our pastor is a peacemaker, how my dad, Mike, does an unusual ministry with the youth (that sentence drew snickers from our row...). How our music ministry and Diana Curtis are about worshipping God and not glorifying our abilities. How the instruments assist in worship rather than distract from it. Have you ever had your heart fill with love so that it is almost palpable? I get that way sometimes when I am with my church family and this was one of those moments. Rev. Kellar was praising God for our unified and blessed church and the blessed members were joining him. It was a good way to end the first half of the meeting.

The two halves are separated by the serving of pie in the kitchen. I get to help and I love seeing everyone and catching up. Maddie, who's 6, gets to tell me about how she plans on eating her pie from the inside out. Helen Hayden, who is one of the founding members of our church, selects a piece that she'll take home to save for later. We joke about how everyone is voted in unanimously to any position that we vote for. I whisper to my Uncle Tim, "I voted for you!" Which is true...Uncle Dal did too and added smiley faces and hearts to his ballot.

The second half is laborious but fun as we watch Dave Gekler try to speed it up as much as possible and then talk about potential changes that could be made to the church - each of which I am horrified by. The night usually ends with the statement, "Not until Brenda gets married!" Tonight's was talking about changing the lights in the sanctuary. "We can get rid of those ugly chandelier things." I gasped in horror and my thought was, "But they've been up there forever! They were up there for my parents' wedding and both my aunts'. They need to be their for mine!" and Uncle Dave came to my rescue by saying, "Not until Brenda gets married!" and we all laugh.

I think I love them because we all love each other so much. I know that I am related to so many of the members there, but they all feel like family. We know each other by face and name. We express our love for each other and we share in our desire to serve God most faithfully. What a great way to spend a Friday night.

Christmas in a small town in a big city

I love my church. There are many reasons why, but tonight was a good reflection of how great my church is. We had our annual church play tonight and it was everything our church play should be: kids sang songs, people played instruments, costumes were made and edited at the last minute, lines were recited (some with feeling others with fear), and the little kids sang "Away in a Manger".

I love to watch Christmas movies and especially ones about small towns. I've always wanted to live in a small town. I am drawn to the idea of living in a place where everyone knows you and cares about you. Where everyone pitches in to take care of each other. Where we're not afraid to discipline each other's children or take action to help when help is needed. Where people can be a little kooky, but they are loved for it. I feel like this is what our church offers.

I get nervous every year about the Christmas play. I hope that the kids have a good time, that the message of the birth of Christ comes through, that the costumes will work out. I am always sure that the previous year's was better and that people will tell me so. When I get to a semi-meltdown state (usually the Saturday before), my dad always reassures me with this conversation, "What is our mantra?" he asks. "Everyone will love it no matter what. They don't care if it's bad," I reply in monotone. This year my dad reminded me, "It's not that they don't care, it's that they are going to love to see those kids up on the stage and that's what they'll get."

You see, in our small town of Faith Presbyterian, each kid on that stage was known and loved by the people in the audience. So when Josh says his lines with exaggerated enunciation and heartfelt emotion, we all smile with joy over the fact that this dear boy has a place in life where he can flourish and be quirky. And when our multitude of the heavenly host (all four of them) say "Glory to God in the highest" in a flat monotone, we all fill with pride over the fact that these little ones (first graders) knew their lines and came onstage at the right time. Dakota can pull on Eddie's lamb ear and say that she wants to sing "This Little Light of Mine" instead of "Away in a Manger" and we are reminded of a time when people thought she wouldn't walk or speak.

It's the fact that these kids are loved for who they are and that they are really cherished that makes the play so much fun to watch. But you know what my favorite part is (besides the fact that it's over successfully)? I love to see these kids say boldly that Christ is the Messiah. They've been in the plays enough times to know that if they have the lines that tell the truth of the Messiah they have the most important lines and they say them loudly and clearly. "The Messiah has come!" they shout with joy. Or "He will come to bring peace between Men and God," Josh whispers with the heaviness of such truth.

And then, as if that wasn't enough, we have the orchestra made up of members who play all year long and some who only play once a year. And then we sing along - loudly and with joy. And afterward we have food prepared by many different hands and candy distributed to the kids (but if you make a pouty face and ask nicely, sometimes the big kids get a bag too).

It's on this day that I feel like I live in a small town in a Christmas movie. There is no shortage of love on this day and I am so thankful that I get to be a part of such a fun and worshipful time. I am overwhelmed by the gifts God has lavished on me and I am thankful for the church that helps me see it.