How was church today?

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I know former moderator Marion Best. She has frequently been "pastoral charge supervisor" for the congregation I attend (including when I was Board Chair). Our paths had crossed at Naramata Centre before.
Seeler and I had the opportunity to hear Gary Patterson speak, and mingle with him while Seeler was on a visit to BC, and I heard -oh shoot I need to look up her name-speak. She spoke at an Anglican church in Edmonton I think it was Anne Squire.
 
Is all of time scary to timeless spirits?

Oops I forget many of the host down here haven't experienced the stopping of light from the sun ... for an instant as reflection was quantitated ... part of the chance incident of impact! From that we go into the mv factor ... and thus momentum as inappropriate action of the 8 Ba'aL!
 
Yesterday, I jumped ahead in the lectionary to the story of Jesus' encounter with the Sadducees in Luke 20. I started with some reflection on the United Church Observer's October cover story on ghosts and belief in them, cited some of the stats that they mentioned and pointed out that as challenging as this is from a Christian perspective, it does point out that those around us are not Sadducees. There's a big number of people who believe in life after death - we just have to learn how to connect with them. But then I pivoted to asking whether there's life before death, using a quote from Bob Dylan - "if you're not busy being born, you're busy dying." Christian life isn't just about resurrection to the next life, it's about continually being reborn in this life; constantly being changed from what we are to what God wants us to be. I eventually moved that to the church - that churches like people are in a constant state of change with constant rebirths - and that if we become satisfied with ourselves as we are or begin to believe that nothing will ever change then we're simply busy dying. All that led to a move toward introducing next Sunday, on which we'll mark 27 years in the new church building (a huge change at the time in response to huge changes that led up to it) and suggested that we can't use the anniversary to get stuck in the past, but to push us into the future as a living church touching the lives of the people around us.

Otherwise, attendance was good, a few more children than usual, and a great choir anthem ("Ride The Chariot.") I left feeling pretty good.
 
revsdd said:
Yesterday, I jumped ahead in the lectionary to the story of Jesus' encounter with the Sadducees in Luke 20. I started with some reflection on the United Church Observer's October cover story on ghosts and belief in them, cited some of the stats that they mentioned and pointed out that as challenging as this is from a Christian perspective, it does point out that those around us are not Sadducees. There's a big number of people who believe in life after death - we just have to learn how to connect with them. But then I pivoted to asking whether there's life before death, using a quote from Bob Dylan - "if you're not busy being born, you're busy dying." Christian life isn't just about resurrection to the next life, it's about continually being reborn in this life; constantly being changed from what we are to what God wants us to be. I eventually moved that to the church - that churches like people are in a constant state of change with constant rebirths - and that if we become satisfied with ourselves as we are or begin to believe that nothing will ever change then we're simply busy dying. All that led to a move toward introducing next Sunday, on which we'll mark 27 years in the new church building (a huge change at the time in response to huge changes that led up to it) and suggested that we can't use the anniversary to get stuck in the past, but to push us into the future as a living church touching the lives of the people around us.

Otherwise, attendance was good, a few more children than usual, and a great choir anthem ("Ride The Chariot.") I left feeling pretty good.
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revsdd, I absolutely love your sermon as described here. Is it available online?
 
Moderators I have met (only one that I claim to know well):(not in order)
Stan McKay - General Council was held in Fredericton the year he was elected; I worked with Children at Council and my group included his daughter. He later visited our former church.
Lois Wilson - I didn't meet her while she was Moderator, but I have a few of her books. She seems to visit Fredericton quite regularly and attends my downtown church.
Bill Phipps - mentioned above
Mardi Tindall - years ago at the same General Council where Stan McKay became Moderator. Her boys also attended Children at Council. Later I ran into her at Five Oaks, and still later at Conference after she became Moderator.
Gary Patterson - when visiting Tabitha in BC.
Jordan Cartwell - earlier this month when she was guest speaker at our Affirming celebration. On the previous Saturday Peter and Sue Short had a small group of us to their home to meet Jordan.
And of course = Peter Short

There may be others that I met briefly at church affairs.
Live long enough and get involved and you never know who you'll meet.
 
I (will) have met exactly two:

Gary Patterson at a Presbytery meeting a couple of years ago in Aurora.
Jordan Cantwell is giving a special service at our church this Thursday as part of a Presbytery meeting. I am very much looking forward to meeting her!

Church on Sunday was good. Some fun twists on the Pharisee/tax collector prayer story. It's hard to be humble while escaping the temptation to be proud of being humble...

Looking forward to next Sunday. It is our anniversary Sunday, and in lieu of a guest speaker, for a change, our four VAMs and Minister Emeritus are putting something on.
 
Nothing too special this week. I did get some special appreciation for my ability to think on the fly during Children's Time. Sometimes the young ones are extra sassy or don't like to play along with the script in my head but I've learned to deflect and redirect over time.

We've had a new music director since September who we are all enjoying getting to know.
 
Good message this week...made me think about a sometimes tendency to self-righteousness. Our choir sang a new song...We are small in numbers and new songs are sometimes quite a challenge, especially if the right people don't show up on Sunday! I sang soprano because we had only 2 sopranos in the choir, and 3 altos (my usual), 1 bass, and 1 tenor. It would have been a little out of balance with 3 altos I figured.
 
Nancy said:
Good message this week...made me think about a sometimes tendency to self-righteousness. Our choir sang a new song...We are small in numbers and new songs are sometimes quite a challenge, especially if the right people don't show up on Sunday! I sang soprano because we had only 2 sopranos in the choir, and 3 altos (my usual), 1 bass, and 1 tenor. It would have been a little out of balance with 3 altos I figured.
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How small in numbers Nancy? We at my church are 19.
 
Jae said:
How small in numbers Nancy? We at my church are 19.
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11, if everyone shows up. Trouble is, most of us are retired and go away from time to time. I do church services at other churches too. So on any given Sunday it is sometimes a surprise about who we have or don't have.
 
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Hilary said:
Oh! Right after my "I'm so great with children" post. ;)
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Oops...didn't mean it that way Hilary. Feel proud of the work you do with young people. It is SO important. I don't think that was self-righteous at all. The way our minister portrayed it was more as an attitude that separates Christians from others.
 
Nancy said:
11, if everyone shows up. Trouble is, most of us are retired and go away from time to time. I do church services at other churches too. So on any given Sunday it is sometimes a surprise about who we have or don't have.
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Are you like us - a small group in a big church planning on how to grow?
 
Actually, our church is quite small. Fifty of us on Sunday in all (not counting minister and organist; included 4 kids) and we looked pretty full.
 
Nancy said:
Actually, our church is quite small. Fifty of us on Sunday in all (not counting minister and organist; included 4 kids) and we looked pretty full.
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Eh? You have me confused. First you said 11, now 50...?
 
Jae said:
Eh? You have me confused. First you said 11, now 50...?
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I think the 11 was the choir and 50 is the congregation. @Nancy can confirm.

I've been skipping church. Sunday always seems to be my "down" day (migraines or other health issues that leave me less than eager to leave the house). Next Sunday, I'm preaching, though, so can't skip it much as I might wish to.
 
Mendalla said:
I think the 11 was the choir and 50 is the congregation. @Nancy can confirm.

I've been skipping church. Sunday always seems to be my "down" day (migraines or other health issues that leave me less than eager to leave the house). Next Sunday, I'm preaching, though, so can't skip it much as I might wish to.
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yep...11 in the choir; 50 in all in church, including the choir and the kids.
 
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