How was church today?

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Hi jimkenney12 - nice to see you here again! Personally, I like that you're identifying the 'stuckness' and hoping to kickstart some change. I like sermons that challenge me in some way to reflect more specifically, or call to specific action.
 
Hi again jimkenney12. A major deterrent to continuing attending church was the 'exclusion' that came (I am sure unwittingly) from the long term members. Just showing up for choir practise and the Sunday service got stale after a period of several years.
 
Many church people do not realize there is a difference between saying welcome to stranger while visiting with friends and welcoming a stranger into conversation and connection. In some congregations most just do the former.
 
jimkenney12 said:
Many church people do not realize there is a difference between saying welcome to stranger while visiting with friends and welcoming a stranger into conversation and connection. In some congregations most just do the former.
Click to expand...

How big a part of this is shrinking congregations and older people?
 
Today one of the pastors talked about authenticity. Uncannily. She read from a simplified version of the bible (maybe the Message?) I am not too familiar with and I forget which verse, but it was about not hiding our true selves. Then she started with a funny story about how she smelled BO one day and realized she'd gotten distracted and had only applied deodorant under one arm. Lol. She used that as a metaphor of authenticity...our fresh and clean side, and our less pretty side that we don't let people see/ smell. But then, she admitted, sometimes people don't want us to be "that" authentic, so wearing deodorant is just fine by her. Lol.

Then she folded a strip of paper into a crown - one side was white, one side was dark/ shadow side (shout out to Luce) ...demonstrated how it is when we only show one side or the other. Only the light side casts a shadow - it's inauthentic. Only our dark side blocks and hides the light that we have to shine (then she twisted the strip and put it back on her head)...our authentic selves are willing to be vulnerable and show all of us. She also talked about emotional vulnerability, being essential, and that to cut ourselves off from emotion, put a wall up, cuts us off from ourselves, truly, and others.

It wasn't a complex sermon today, but it was a good one. She also read a poem but I forgot the author's name.

I truly think I am in the right congregation.
 
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Enjoyed the service today. Minister was away so the choir took the lead and did a Hymns service. A number of choir members chose favourite hymns of theirs, talked about why these were meaning for them, gave a bit of history about the hymn etc & we sang a few verses of each. Scripture interspersed, also related to music. Prayer was by our lay liturgist who often gives a bit of a minisermon along with the prayer ... so the focus was on the tragic van incident in Toronto on Monday. I made an announcement about our congregation's enrollment in the "Stroll for Your Soul" initiative we're going to do in May. It's something put together by The Prayer Bench - a website that I think crazyheart brought to our attention a while ago - lots of interesting resources there. Then I did the counting - and hooray - it went smoothly and we balanced!! That's always rewarding!!
 
I was at Five Oaks today. Spent some time in community, some alone, some on the ground, some in the building.
Overheard someone starting to hum, then louder, then signing in the hall beside me while I worked preparing some tea for a group on a contemplative hile.
It was good.
Visited with people, as well.
I am thankful for the place. I slep t there this weekend, so lots of deep sleep.
 
Church was great today. Masons were there, and it was very interesting and informative. Rev's sermon focussed on connectedness, and made some good points. We had a huge potluck lunch after church. Tons of great food. My dog-walking neighbour joined us for lunch, then she and I and a church couple/friends, who live right behind my dog-walking neighbour, took off down to Cookstown to see a very good South Simcoe Theatre production of Harvest Moon Rising.
 
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