"Fizz bigger for Jesus!"
This exhortation from Miss Margaret, the woman delivering the children's message, came without
a specific Biblical reference, but I'm sure I could find something to back it
up. She had already encouraged the children to recall what had happened in the
previous weeks. Two weeks before had been Palm Sunday, and the children
recalled waving the branches. The week before had been Easter, and for a lesson
on new life, butterflies had been hatched and released. But what do you do the
week after Easter? This Sunday for the children, antacid was dropped in water
to show that there can be excitement post-Easter.
The week after Easter can be a
challenge for churches. Easter week brings in big crowds of not only regular
attenders but also first timers and the folks that check in for holidays only.
For most churches, attendance is down the Sunday following Easter. Often, the
senior pastor is gone and the choir breaks.
That wasn't the case the week we
visited St. John's Methodist. Kathy Riebe, an old friend and the musical
director of the church, explained, "At Easter we have a big blow-out of
special music, so first time visitors might return expecting more of the same.
That's why I practice an anthem with the choir in the months prior to Easter so
it's ready the Sunday after." And the senior pastor, the Reverend Karen
Radcliffe, wasn't taking the week off either.
As first time visitors (which Mindy
and I usually are this year), what greatly impressed us was the friendliness of
the congregation. Before the service began, a number of people introduced
themselves. In churches, sadly, people are often afraid to say, "Have we
met before?" It might be embarrassing if either party is a long time
attender (or the two have met before), but it is worth the risk of
embarrassment if the result is helping newcomers feel welcome instead of
overlooked.
Among the people we met were James
and Thelma, a couple who had celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary. James
has attended St. John's for most of his 88 years. When I told him we were from
California he said, "There haven't been so many Yankees here since Sherman
invaded!"
I also met Russ and Elizabeth, a
couple who have attended the church for the last dozen years -- since their
days at the local college, Winthrop. I asked them what had brought them to St.
John's. Elizabeth said that when they were looking for a church, she heard God
call her to this place one day as she was driving by. When they attended, they
appreciated the pastor for his simplicity in preaching. They're "country
people" and related to his use of hunting and fishing for illustrations.
They also appreciate traditional worship and like the use of hymns in the
church.
Marilyn, a woman who has attended the
church for decades, told me it was the kindness of people in the congregation
that brought her to the place.
This was an exciting day in the life
of the church. In the announcement time, we were told that a full time director
of children's and youth ministry had just been hired. There seemed to be even
more excitement about this than about the Tar Heels upcoming appearance at the
NCAA Basketball Championship Game. (The person giving the announcements decided
not to lead in the fight song; probably for the best, since one of the women in
front of us was a Duke fan.)
I did have an opportunity talk to
one church youth, Jacob. He told me about one on-going ministry of the church,
what they refer to as "Salkehatchie." This weeklong service project
for high school students, who sleep on the floor of a high school gym at night
and work at the homes of needy families during the day, includes work on home
improvement projects -- not doing cosmetic work, but projects that make homes
"warmer, safer and dryer." Jacob fondly recalled one day where the
weather reports predicted a 100% chance of rain when they were supposed to be
working on a roof. But it remained dry until the last shingle was hammered in,
and then the rain came down. Jacob said such things "let you see God."
I attended an adult Sunday School
class where I was asked to share about our trip to a church and a bar in every
state. I talked about our occasional discomfort in our visits to bars, and the
class was encouraged by their leader to stretch outside of their comfort zones,
to hear different perspectives ("for instance Charlie there only watches
Fox News"), and to reach out to those who need Christ.
It was a pleasure to spend time with
the people of St. John's and to see that though the place has been around since
1875, God is still creating some fizz.
Statistics (we attended both of
their Sunday morning services)
Service Length: 1 hour 14
minutes /1 hour 19 minutes
Sermon Length: 7 minutes / 9 minutes
Visitor Treatment: Before
Mindy entered the building, a man wearing an "usher" tag asked if she
was new and said he'd see her inside soon. Both of us were greeted by various
people as we entered; Mindy's new usher friend (and his wife, who was one of
the people who greeted her as she walked to the sanctuary) made sure we had
visitor materials and met the people seated around us. By the time in the first
worship service where we were to greet those around us, we had been introduced
to all ten of the people in the four pews closest to us. Throughout the
morning, people went out of their way to be friendly to the newcomers (and
there were two different visitor cards in addition to the attendance register
at the end of each aisle).
Followup by Tuesday Morning:
none
Our Rough Count: 70 / 85
Probable Ushers' Count: 75 / 100
Snacks: savory and sweet
pastries, including pigs in a blanket and sausage in a biscuit, fresh fruit,
yogurt, Girl Scout thin mints, coffee and decaf, hot water for tea or hot
chocolate, juices
Musicians: organist/pianist
(woman), flute (woman), choir (4 men, 5 women + 5 different women in the second
worship service)
Songs: "Ere Yet the Dawn
Hath Filled the Skies" (organ prelude)
"An Easter Song of Praise"
(choir)
"Praise to the Lord, the
Almighty"
"Partita No. 2" (flute
solo, piano accompaniment)
"Doxology"
"We Walk by Faith and Not by
Sight" (choir)
"Breathe on me, Breath of
God"
"Hymn of Promise"
"Choral Prelude" (organ
postlude)
Miles to church: 12
Miles from start: 10,771
Total 2016 Miles: 10,616
Church website:
http://www.stjohnsfm.org
(P.S. of a self-promotional nature --
during out stay with Kathie Riebe, she mentioned that something she'd read on
our blog had led to a change in how something was done in her church. After
reading the post on church websites, she insisted that St. John's put the
church's address and service times at
the top of their home page, rather than hiding these important pieces of
information deep in the site. Of course, this tip wasn't anything I'd written,
but rather from a guest article by our daughter, Paige. But still...good to
hear.)
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