How was church today?

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I tried drying palms in a toaster oven and other strategies from chopping them into little bits and shredding them, and they would self extinguish quickly. Even with accelerants, the ashes need to have fibres removed to provide smooth ashes. The ribs in the palm fronds resist burning.
 
breaking news GIF by NowThis
 
I will post tomorrow night's service, and you, too, can admire her pyrotechnics (*just watch; everything will go sedately, after a decade of incendiary*).
 
First Sunday in Lent yielded a surprise...not fire, but ice! All roads were like skating rinks. 17 brave souls made it to church and we had communion. It was actually quite nice and cozy to be inside and worshipping together.
 
Afraid that I got up early enough, but faffed around with laundry, etc., until it was too late to get myself ready and out the door in the car. So I watched the service, live-streamed in real time, sang with the hymns, scrounged up communion items, etc. And my son watched it, too, which was a nice connection when we talked later in the day.
 
Attended in-person worship yesterday as it simultaneously took place on Zoom. Attendance was low and we were all masked. No singing, no coffee hour, no use of the coat racks. So it wasn't exactly church as normal but it was good to be there.
 
I went to church, at request of another person to facilitate a meeting afterward. It was quite strange. Only about 40 people were there. Minister seems to be on vacation (she is leaving end of month) so a lay person conducted most of the service with a 'message' from the minister pre-recorded. Hymns were all pre-recorded. No singing. No interacting. Not even standing & sitting to break it up. I was wishing I was at home. There was coffee afterward but I was not able to participate due to other obligation. In the afternoon I listened to the Hillhurst service which was so much more meaningful & spirit-filled for me.
 
In-person church as it is happening right now (at least in some places) will NEVER attract anyone new. How boring it would be to visit a congregation with minimal attendance and no singing!!!

I have even seen a few websites indicating registration is required & only members are invited to register. So much for the days of "All are welcome".

OTOH we have had visitors join us for the online version of worship. Maybe it's easier to go church shopping from home.
 
So true P3; we had the registration thing too - and of course I had not pre-registered & had guests with me! YIKES!!
 
Church was good on Sunday. My husband has had some worrisome health news with a host of tests planned. My church family supports and understands. Singing in the choir helps, and our minister has been very helpful by calling and otherwise supporting. It's what I've always said: church is about community. Not only about community, but community is an integral part. Carolla -- being a visitor at a church would be hard if you didn't get a sense of community.
 
Nancy said:
Church was good on Sunday. My husband has had some worrisome health news with a host of tests planned. My church family supports and understands. Singing in the choir helps, and our minister has been very helpful by calling and otherwise supporting. It's what I've always said: church is about community. Not only about community, but community is an integral part. Carolla -- being a visitor at a church would be hard if you didn't get a sense of community.
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Oh Nancy - sending hugs for you and your family as your husband's situation unfolds. Grateful that you have a strong church community - lean into their love.
 
Nancy said:
It's what I've always said: church is about community. Not only about community, but community is an integral part.
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Thinking of your husband's worrisome news, Nancy. Big hugs.

Yes, my church community has totally surrounded me in food and help and love since my silly but damaging tumble.
 
I loved our Easter service yesterday. Our very small choir, (four of us!) sang a simple anthem, but our minister fashioned some monologues around it. We each spoke words of a familiar character...Mary Magdalene, Thomas, Peter and the Beloved Disciple. I was Thomas. In the past, we always had one choir member (who as dropped out of church since covid) sing a beautiful Easter version of Alleluia. It was always a highlight, and we didn't think the four of us could come anywhere close to something so special or moving. And we hadn't rehearsed our parts, because the minister forgot to send them to us for choir practice. So, at the last minute, we devised a plan that would make the monologues visually interesting as well, depending on how/when we stood or sat. After it was over, each of us told the others how special it was to do this together. It's interesting that, as choir members, we feel incredibly close, but we aren't necessarily part of each other's lives outside of the church. Each of us had family celebrations yesterday, but I bet each of us would also say that church was a highlight.
 
Watched the online service for DRCC yesterday evening. Listening to the reading of the story of Thomas, it felt very fake to me when it finished with the bit about commissioning the disciples to make judgements on people. It felt like an insertion by a church grasping for the authority to do that. Previously I tended to focus on the courage Thomas showed in being away the previous Sunday and when he was first to declare his readiness to follow Jesus when they heard Lazarus had died. The commissioning felt contrary to previous declarations that only the Father can make those decisions.
 
Nancy said:
Church was good on Sunday. My husband has had some worrisome health news with a host of tests planned. My church family supports and understands. Singing in the choir helps, and our minister has been very helpful by calling and otherwise supporting. It's what I've always said: church is about community. Not only about community, but community is an integral part. Carolla -- being a visitor at a church would be hard if you didn't get a sense of community.
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This is often said. My personal experience didn't include that sense of community. When I had deaths in my family the support I got came from people I didn't see at church.
 
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