in a few minutes, i will be heading out to trek about an hour on the other side of the dallas-fort worth metroplex to visit my pastor friend and his family at their church. it’s a small church, numbering probably close to 50 or 75, if memory serves me correctly. he will be filling in for their pastor, and i’m very excited to hear him speak.
i’m even more excited to give them a check for about $250 and another $100 in gift cards that you have so generously donated (i learned the wife is having some dental work done so this couldn’t be a better time!)
this church has no lighting rig, no HD cameras, no mediashout or professional band. they’re having a good ol’ potluck lunch after the service. talk about bringing me back to the days of my childhood.
i’m excited for this change of pace. i’m excited to go to a small town church with small town people. i need some diversity in my church-going life.
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15 responses to “potluck (sans intelligent lights)”
maybe its coincedence, but this morning i am in new orleans and going to a southern baptist chuch that is predominately african american. I am looking forward to it.
Usually, I’m just happy for a week off when I don’t have the stress of producing a worship service. I’ve occasionally gone to the “old people, traditional” service at our church. Which is great because I don’t have to do anything but experience… all five verses of Amazing Grace.
I was just having this conversation with a pastor friend of mine yesterday. We both work at churches of about 2500, and were thinking of how fun it would be to visit a church with around 75 people, just for a different experience. And sometimes I think I worship more genuinely at places where I’m not so distracted by thinking about the ministry going on outside the auditorium while I’m sitting in service – did all the volunteers show up? Are there too many kids in that class? Did I check on the supplies in that room? … Anyways, I hope you have a great time!
When “worship” takes place (not “music worship”) then it doesn’t really matter if you’re running mediashout or transparencies, $50,000 lighting rig or flashlights, the top of the line sound system or yelling at the top of your lungs – just worship…. All that to say is that i would love for my husband and i to have a weekend off at church so that our fam could attend a nice little church in the country. Be simplified and undistracted… I hope you had a great Sunday!
Something that was REALLY cool that caught me by surprise was after they sang and did announcements, the associate pastor guy said some lady had a prayer request – she made her way up to the mic and talked about some very personal family issues. It was amazing to see her transparency and everyone just stopped and prayed right there with her. I wanted to go hug her. It was amazing.
well, you just go and [be] then why don’t you. will you be donig this again?
If the good Lord leads ; )
Yeah these are nice places to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.
I miss those days. I love being able to focus on a couple of people instead of a couple of thousand. I love potlucks. Although, it seems like I always have a “tender” stomach the day after potlucks. And I always seem to get the weird Jello with nuts in it.
Wow… so many good memories.
My closest friend and I always wanted to have a home church where everybody would bring food for a potluck lunch after service. To worship and feast together would be a dream.
My best friend’s friend recently joined the worship staff at my church. Every since then, we have gotten to sing a hymn at the end of the praise time. I might be 32 years old but I believe I am just old enough to be moved by “Amazing Grace” or “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”.
*tear
Thank you guys for the awesome memories.
Yeah it’s always a nice change of pace to go back home and visit the church that I attended when I was a kid. It’s nice to just enjoy worship and the message rather than feel responsible for everything that looks bad or goes wrong or what you think needs changing or updating. (At least these are some of the things that go through my head during a worship service from time to time)
Some of those old fashion, pre-postmodern, non-mega/multi-site churches(also known as small) do this old fashion thing you could try out so that you don’t miss your regular church duties on Sunday morning. It’s called Sunday evening service. Some of em even still do that quaint, old-fashion thing called Wednesday night service. Of course, if your not involved in the ministry there, there’s not much to do besides sing hymns, pass around the collection plate, take communion, listen to testimony, pray for each other and their families or friends. If you get really bored you can read the old-style bulletin with the picture on the front that’s been the same for 10 years. Potlucks are pretty boring. Everybody just shows up and brings food! Where’s the volunteer recruiting and vetting?? Some people just show up and eat! If you go to these places in the morning, you have to be careful what time you show up. A lot of those places still do this weird thing called “adult sunday school”.
The real danger is that you might just get to like this kind of thing. Is there a spiritual equivalent to emotional adultery? (grin)
are there churches that are poles apart theologically as well then? Maybe it would be good to visit them as well…
I wonder if its just me, but maybe pot luck has a whole different sent of conatations to some folks ;)
for me to muster up the strength to allow somone to fully know me and then for them to reject me. Its something i battle often when having to choose how honest i should be
sorry previous comment made to wrong blog post. Commenting from my phone isnt that easy i guess