When we're putting together the Wednesday photo posts of churches from a particular state, we often find ourselves trying to remember what a particular church ediface is called. Even when we take pictures of the signboard, it can be challenging to connect the two.
Answer in the comments here or on facebook. (I plan to post the answers by 9:00 am Thursday morning)
Here are the churches:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
And here are the signs:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Bonus: see the interior photo at the top of the post? Which church does it belong with?
Answers:
1. C; 2. E; 3. D; 4. B; 5. A (Bonus: interior is 1. C, Immanuel Episcopal)
We don't usually talk a lot about
the men's rest room in churches we visit, let alone start there. But above the
urinals at The Journey there are little TV screens. And each of those TV
screens is playing ESPN. I don't mention this solely because I want to post a
picture of ESPN on a TV above a urinal. Not solely. I also want to emphasize
the point that the Journey takes seriously the challenge of reaching men ages
20 - 40, and they think creatively about how to do this.
For instance, the themes in their
sermon series are certainly guy friendly. We were there for the final sermon in
the "Limited Edition" series, which is about our limitations as
people. But the visual theme is cars and racing. The cafe was decorated with
racing flags, and Rascal Flatts' "Life is a Highway" was playing
overhead. In the auditorium, before Pastor Mark gave his message, there was a
short Fast and Furious-lite video. In the sermon, Mark gave a short illustration
of a time when a friend let him drive a race car. A previous sermon series used
Zombie Apocalypse as a theme. And the series starting in June is "The Good
Father."*
Church growth statistics say that if
you draw men to your congregation, you will also draw women. The opposite is
statistically less likely. The leadership in The Journey studies church growth
statistics, business models, and systems. They believe in writing things down.
Pastor Mark says, "I don't believe it unless it is written down." (The
idea is that if a process or plan is written down, then it can be carried out
by anyone, which is better than relying on one person to carry out a process or
plan.)
There is an effort to pare things
down to the basics at The Journey. For example, there are three basics for
spiritual growth at the church: Gather, Connect, and Serve. The gathering part takes
place at the five worship meetings during the weekend, Saturdays at 4:30 &
6:00 pm and Sundays at 9:00, 10:30, and Noon. The Connect step happens at the
JGroups (J is for Journey) -- small groups that meet primarily at people's
homes during the week. There are dozens of small groups that meet for fall, spring and summer
sessions. Serve means being involved in ministry, and there are many
opportunities to serve in the church. On Sunday evening, we went with folks from a couple of
JGroups to The Paris Foundation in Elkton, Maryland, where they serve a meal
for the homeless on a regular basis.
Children's and youth ministry in the
church is based on the same model. The children "gather" together, and
then divide into smaller groups. The youth worship with the adults in the weekend gatherings, but have
youth group meetings on Tuesday night. Like adults, they can serve in sanctuary
set-up, in the cafe, in children's ministry, etc.
Of course, even with the best of
planning, stuff happens. We planned to attend both Saturday evening services, and all
went well in the first service; during the second service, not so much. The
message from Matthew 17: 14 - 21 about the disciples' failure to cast out a
demon and the need for faith was preached well by Mark the first time around.
(I did find it interesting that the only time Scripture was read was during the
sermon, working through verse by verse of the passage.)
Anyway, during the second worship gathering, the sermon had just gotten started when the fire alarm went off. (The lights flashed, and a robotic voice
said, "There is a fire emergency in the building. Please leave through the
nearest exit.") What I thought was interesting, and kind of great, was
that people weren't sure if it was a real fire alarm or part of the service. As
we walked out, people were saying, "I thought that was part of the sermon."
I think it's a good thing if people expect to be surprised in a church (I know
that sounds like a contradiction but it is not.).
A great thing was the church handled
the situation very well. The children were ushered out of the building by their
teachers, and they were kept in a group outside the door for their wing. I
didn't hear any kids crying. Parents (and/or guardians) still needed to turn in
a ticket to get their kid. After a few minutes, Pastor Mark made an
announcement outside, saying that there was no fire, but that the power would
take twenty minutes to, well, power up, so the service was canceled. He
encouraged people to come to one of the three Sunday services to hear the rest
of the sermon. Someone asked Mark to preach the rest of the message on the
loading dock. He answered that if he did, there he would have no voice left for
preaching the next day. I hope everyone made it back Sunday morning, because it
was a good message. But Mindy and I had somewhere else to be.
Newark
Church of Christ
We were excited to go to church at
the Newark Church of Christ on Sunday morning, because they were doing an
outside service and barbeque for Memorial Day Weekend. We'd gone to the
church's Wednesday night prayer meeting because it was near where we were
staying, and the time of the prayer meeting was convenient for our plans. The people were quite friendly on
Wednesday evening, so we were excited to see them again Sunday morning.
Because of being outside (an annual
event for the church), we didn't expect a repeat of the fire alarm
incident. The service definitely had fewer technological needs. While The Journey
uses special lighting effects, I don't think Newark Church of Christ uses such things even
when they are inside. They don't use musical instruments, and do all of their
singing a cappella.
Their outreach to the University of Delaware was a ministry we found most interesting. On Tuesday nights during the
school year, they have dinners for students. Students from a variety of
backgrounds meet together, and it has been a great outreach for the church.
During picnic lunch I talked to a young woman who came to the church because of
the campus ministry. And in the food line, another young woman needed to know
whether all-beef franks were being served. She was a Muslim student who was
drawn to the church through the campus ministry. The church supports a campus
minister, and during the service a young woman who had graduated the day before
was introduced to the congregation because she too was going into full time
campus ministry.
Delaware is a little state. But it's
obviously big enough for God to work in varied and interesting ways.
Statistics
Newark
Church of Christ
Wednesday 6:30 pm
Service Length: 1 hour 14
minutes
Lesson Length: 48 minutes
Visitor Treatment: We were
welcomed and greeted by at least ten people (the group was small, and we were
obviously new), including a staff member and two elders. We parked in one of
the first-time guests parking spaces. Several people invited us to come back on
Sunday morning. We filled out a guest card we found.
Followup by Tuesday Morning:
none
Our Rough Count: 36 divided
among two adult classes, with a children's class as well
Visitor Treatment: After we
parked in the visitors' spot, we were greeted by a man who told us the worship
service was outside. Several people remembered us from Wednesday night and
greeted us. Visitors were welcomed during the service and invited to go through
the line for lunch right after the veterans. There was a greeting time during
the service as well.
Followup by Tuesday Morning:
none
Our Rough Count: 109
Probable Ushers' Count: 125
Snacks: hot dogs, hamburgers
and a really good assortment of salads (and chips, dessert, and sodas and
bottled water) for lunch after the worship service
Musicians: none
Songs: Blessed be the Lord
God Almighty
Shout to the Lord
Step by Step
Shine, Jesus, Shine
Trust and Obey
Seek ye First
Miles to church: 3
The
Journey
Saturday 4:30 pm gathering
Service Length: 1 hour 36
minutes
Sermon Length: 35 minutes
Visitor Treatment: Visitors
are encouraged to fill out a connections card and bring it to the volunteers at
Visitor Center in the Cafe after the service ends. Visitors are given a branded
mug, information about becoming part of the church, and a treat (we'd gotten mugs
when we met with one of the pastors, so we didn't get another, and I didn't see
exactly what treat was being given out. Maybe biscotti?)
Followup by Tuesday Morning:
none
Our Rough Count: 93 (probably
the lowest attendance of the five worship experiences each weekend)
Probable Ushers' Count: 150,
including children in the kids' area
Snacks: coffee, decaf, hot
water for tea, lemonade, iced tea, individually wrapped mint lifesavers
*In a promo video for the Good
Father series, Mark did a bad Brando/Vito impression (and I say bad because you
could understand almost every word he said, unlike Brando) urging folks to come
to back to church, and to invite others to come. ("Bring a friend, leave
the cannoli.")
1. Delaware has at least four nicknames: The Diamond State (because, according to legend, Thomas Jefferson called it a "jewel among the states"); The First State (beause the state declared its independence from Great Britain even before the Declaration was signed and was the first state to ratify the Constitution); The Small Wonder (because it's very small); and Blue Hen State.*
2. It's 49th in area and has the fewest counties of any state. It's only 96 miles long and ranges from 9 to 35 miles in width.
3. The state was named for the Delaware River, which was named for Thomas West, the 3rd Baron De la Warr (1577 - 1618). He was ruling governor of Virginia when Europeans first explored that river.
4. Due to the 12-mile arc said to be drawn from the cupola of the New Castle courthouse, Delaware has the only "circular" state boundary in the United States. Another part of the border, called "the wedge," was contested with Pennsylvania until 1921, when Delaware's claim was confirmed.
5. The first Europeans to settle in the area were Dutch, in 1631. Within a year those settlers were killed by the previous residents. In 1638, New Sweden was established near what's now Wilmington. However, Dutch settlers under Peter Stuyvesant established a fort nearby, at New Castle, and annexed New Sweden. Nine years later, a fleet of British ships conquered the Dutch, and almost 20 years after that, the Duke of York passed his proprietorship of the area to William Penn (so Penn could have water access to Pennsylvania to the north). The three counties which are now Delaware were called "the Lower Counties on the Delaware."
6. In 2012, 34% of the population considered themselves "moderately religious," 33% considered themselves "very religious," and 33% considered themselves "non-religious."
*The Delaware Blue Hen is the name of a breed of chicken not recognized by the American Poultry Association and can be either male or female, and it's silvery grey with darker shading on the feather tips. (The APA recognized breed of Delaware chicken is white with dark wing tips.) The University of Delaware's mascot is YoUDee, which is a fighting Delaware Blue Hen.
