How was church today?

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I absolutely confess to playing hooky today. Texted my two rides last night - one had another commitment (a grandma who runs tiny trucks with her grandson), the other said yes, then texted me this a.m. that he had woken up with a sore throat. And my big guy was away, aiming to get back into town to meet me and daughter and sister for sushi lunch in honour of daughter's birthday. So I rolled over and did what I've been dying to do for a couple of weeks - just stayed in bed until I was damned good and ready to get up, about 11:15. It was lovely.
 
Nancy said:
@BetteTheRed ...I think that's the kind of worship we all need sometimes!!!
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Divers Erst-ion? Like the Huffington version ... damn that essence is liable to cause the NU POTUS some pain in his following ...

Could be rendered to divers turgeon ... Sturgeon being an label that's not common ... consider the Geons ... as Gamma eons and darker times ... virtue of the Ripper when consciousness departs? Suited reams ... kind of out-of-here like apo, al, ad, at and Bs on industry ... best to take a rest as we see the way things are going in reality ... take relief like Moses on the mount ... carve out a myth! No mortal we believe you any how ...
 
We had great English worship services yesterday, focused on Matthew 22 and the question of which was the greatest command in the Law. The answer being twofold: Love the Lord your God; and Love your neighbour as much as you love yourself. One of the women in our adult group had wonderfully decorated ourmeting room for Christmas.

Near the end of the children's worship service, we welcomed two new kids, and then congratulated three kids in grade 6 who'll be moving up to youth worship services, and presented them with certificates. And then we all practiced songs we'll be singing at our Christmas service.

After the service, our current Head Teacher, next year's Head Teacher, our Elder, and I met to discuss curriculum we'll be using for next year in the children's worship services.
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On the subject of church buildings, ours is 9 floors high, plus a two floor underground parking garage. It includes many meeting rooms, a central worship space, a cafeteria, and a café. It's open every day of the week and there are many worship services, Bible studies, club meetings, choir practices, etc. that go on. A church doesn't absolutely require its own building, but it certainly helps it if it has one
 
A more motive church is like a moving populace ... not statis ... like apostasies it is not understood ... to know logos one must get right into it as something that is mentally beyond normal ... its avast thing!
 
Went to the Baptist church yesterday as my Korean neighbours kid was performing a dance during the service with her Korean kids group. Lots of traditional Christmas songs and the Christmas story acted out by lots of dressed up people as camels, sheep and all the other well known players. Very traditional prayers and “reflection” about how happy we all should be to be saved. Neighbours kid did well with those complicated moves and despite having a bad cold.
Enjoyed the singing, though really don’t believe any of those texts. Also don’t really feel the need to be saved - and from what, exactly. I think, that todays ministers are missing out on the opportunity to preach about that the bible is not a history book and this story’s meaning is more about the importance that a man stands by his fiancée who is pregnant before being married, Shepherds who are drawn to the mystery of a new born baby and rich men who bring gifts unsuitable for a baby.
 
Low Sunday, so less than 30 people. But, it felt so warm and friendly. People seemed to appreciate or, even enjoy, the message I delivered. I started by saying that the minister was taking a well-deserved break after Christmas, so they were 'stuck' with me. Which sounds awful, but they know my sense of humour. The message was prompted by 12-year-old Jesus staying behind, after his parents left the Passover feast, to talk to the teachers in the Temple. I usually take a path that I've never heard before, so...if it's new and interesting to me, I hope it is to others as well. When I deliver a message, I really want to be giving something positive to the congregation. Anyway...not to go into the whole message, I will pique your curiosity by telling you something I managed to work into it: the story of racehorse Secretariat. Very cool that, afterwards, one fellow told me that that part of the message made him think of his father who raised thoroughbred racehorses. So, I think the message at least gave him something.
 
I love this Sunday in church. The world has moved on from Christmas but we are just beginning that process.
 
I once again confess to playing hooky today. My rides didn't need rides (one away, the other worrisomely ill, as she is old), my big guy has gone to visit his family for a few days (Windsor) and I don't love Christmas carols even, having just survived 7 weeks of retail Christmas pop music, and this service is always a carol service presided over by the Worship Team. My sister came over for tea this afternoon, I have to go out and feed the fish, but it's so far quite the Sabbath for me, in that I've done very little...
 
We had fantastic services yesterday. They were well attended. There were a few people missing, but we had about the same as always.

In our English service for adults, I preached about Mary and Joseph presenting Jesus at the temple when he was eight days old. He was recognised there by Simeon and Anna as being the Messiah. My message was titled "How to Have a Happy New Year" and we looked at lessons from the text we can use to have a 2025 full of joy.

In our English service for kids, I preached "Jesus Calls His Disciples" about Jesus meeting Simon the fisherman and telling him that he would fish for people. And James and John following Jesus too.

At the end of the kid's service, we welcomed a couple of new kids, prayed for grade 6 kids who will be leaving us in the new year to graduate to middle school worship services, and I presented a few 10 year awards to Teachers who'd served our children's worship service for that length of time.

And then, all the Sunday School Teachers, our Elders, and myself went out to lunch to a lovely restaurant where we ate octopus, noodle soup, salad, and cranberry pizza. Then we got some coffee and hot choco and went outside and walked to the restaurant's gazebo where we sat by a fire and shared speeches thanking everyone for a great year of ministry and looking forward to 2025. And our Elders, who must leave us at the end of 2024 to go to a different church department, presented the Teachers and I with gifts
 
Jae said:
And our Elders, who must leave us at the end of 2024 to go to a different church department
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So Elders rotate roles or something? I kind of like that idea, actually. My experience in churches has generally been that leaders tend to find a niche and stay in it until they move out of the leadership role, e.g. Dad, who was almost always chairing Worship in my memory. Or related functions like the committee to purchase a new organ.

(BTW, I am Dad in this regard. After a brief stint in Communications editing the newsletter and website, I chaired worship for most of my time in the UU fellowship)
 
Mendalla said:
So Elders rotate roles or something? I kind of like that idea, actually. My experience in churches has generally been that leaders tend to find a niche and stay in it until they move out of the leadership role, e.g. Dad, who was almost always chairing Worship in my memory. Or related functions like the committee to purchase a new organ.

(BTW, I am Dad in this regard. After a brief stint in Communications editing the newsletter and website, I chaired worship for most of my time in the UU fellowship)
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If someone's particularly good in a role, which you may well have been, my own feeling's that a church need not hurry them on their way.

That said, at my church, the rule's that an Elder can stay up to two years in a department and then will be moved on. Normally the rule is that husbands and wives serve together. The two who are just about to leave our English children's department will be sorely missed. They did such a great job together.

I have high hopes for the new people coming though. For the first time I've been at the church (about 4 years), they're not married to each other. I know them from our English adult's worship, and I think they'll be great
 
I had an abysmal experience last Sunday in a church of the denomination of my childhood that I hadn't visited in over a year.
The sermon was a dry unedifying discussion of Christ as the Church's foundation. Since my last attendance there, the congregation had dwindled from about 100 to the 20s. The minister defensively claimed that church attendance in general had decreased by 300 percent during recent decades. That made no sense because if the church had lost 100% of its membership, there would be no one left for the other 200% lost! But what really put me off was his loud manicky cackling after points not intended to be funny. I thought, "This guy is probably being medicated for a manic-depressive disorder. How can his congregation stand this cackling?" After the service, he greeted me at the door with a "Hi pastor." I remained discreetly silent and went home.
 
Mystic said:
I had an abysmal experience last Sunday in a church of the denomination of my childhood that I hadn't visited in over a year.
The sermon was a dry unedifying discussion of Christ as the Church's foundation. Since my last attendance there, the congregation had dwindled from about 100 to the 20s. The minister defensively claimed that church attendance in general had decreased by 300 percent during recent decades. That made no sense because if the church had lost 100% of its membership, there would be no one left for the other 200% lost! But what really put me off was his loud manicky cackling after points not intended to be funny. I thought, "This guy is probably being medicated for a manic-depressive disorder. How can his congregation stand this cackling?" After the service, he greeted me at the door with a "Hi pastor." I remained discreetly silent and went home.
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Have respect for your profession ... I was told that was critical ... thus a lot of degrading side effects ... giving the lack of expanding intelligence ... we fall for the ideal ... total lack as a summa ... zero sum or OZ? Everything goes because we won't have it ... strange information!!

Faith ins the professions thus diminish ... people stop scholarship ... and ignorance flows!

Imagine or advocate critical process ... as mulling ... abstract? Few learn to respect the deficiencies and path them up ... everything wears ... as finis ...
 
I was asked to lead worship yesterday but I had declined because I thought I’d be having surgery. No surgery and no worship service commitments so I enjoyed worship at my own church. And I’m so glad I did. Sometimes the scripture readings, sermon, hymns speak in a way you need to hear right at that moment. After a worrisome week, it was exactly the uplifting I needed! Our choir was small and I was the only soprano….and I’m really an alto turned soprano based on need….but even that didn’t bother me.
 
Nancy said:
I was asked to lead worship yesterday but I had declined because I thought I’d be having surgery. No surgery and no worship service commitments so I enjoyed worship at my own church. And I’m so glad I did. Sometimes the scripture readings, sermon, hymns speak in a way you need to hear right at that moment. After a worrisome week, it was exactly the uplifting I needed! Our choir was small and I was the only soprano….and I’m really an alto turned soprano based on need….but even that didn’t bother me.
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I'm a one person choir ... often singing to myself ... so it incarnates! Reality may be something else as Plato suggested ...
 
Luce NDs said:
I'm a one person choir ... often singing to myself ... so it incarnates! Reality may be something else as Plato suggested ...
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Imagine an abstract situation when there is an great unknown out there listening over one of your shoulders ... while over the other, a counter reaction!

It is said that there is something of meaning (understood) in everything ... no matter how shattered ... thus crystalline black sky ... the inside of a hate ball?

Would this be the wrong horizon of a Black 'Ole thing as augured in the dome of night? There were some sky watchers that old authorities disagreed with ... and thus transferred ... to the side where intellect thrives ... ode veil? Madame Deville, or a caddy ... picture a man being buried in his caddy as convertible ...

Would he come up again? EL Vi's ... niches ... MU's hide there ... in relief ... from paranoia of Heh Ayre ... wind socks? Demonstrates what you can do with the lyric ... word itself ... than add the jazzed buzz ... song and dance ... Last Tango? I have doubts as I look how corruption dances around points ...
 
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