New Worship Experience

Summer – A Season of Growth!
Summer brings a different pace – more relaxing (in some ways). Spending time outdoors and recreation take center stage, and work moves to the background. It is amazing that the greatest growth frequently takes place under such circumstances. Planting and harvest are times of near frantic activity, but the growing season is the more leisurely weeding and watering and letting nature take its course.
Next fall, we hope by November, we plan to start “a new worship experience.” We are deliberately calling it that rather than a new worship service, because we don't want preconceived ideas of what it will be popping up in people's minds. The idea and inspiration for this has been long in development. Four or five years ago we did a study on starting a new service. We struggled with what, when and how such a service might be started. Eventually we dropped the idea or just let it lie dormant; although occasionally it would come up again, and we would discuss some ideas and plans – then fail to follow through.
What changed? Well, we now see a different direction to go with this and have a staff person whose primary responsibility it will be to coordinate the folks working together to make this happen. I'm talking about Susie Swyter, our seminary intern this past year, who will come back in the fall with her primary responsibility being coordinating this new worship experience. We are just in the “brain-storming” stage of what this will look like. We have talked about doing it on Wednesday evenings, but aren't sure if we would try to hold it in the sanctuary, in the social hall or off site. What we are clear on is that this will be a effort to reach out to those the church too often misses. People who would be uncomfortable with our current worship offerings, the “un-churched” whose understanding or experience of “church” is as judgmental, self-righteous and irrelevant. The Spirit is telling me we need more than open hearts, open minds and open doors; we need to (in the spirit of summer) get out doors, beyond the doors and walls that provide us with so much, and yet too often form an unintended barrier for an increasing number of people. The principals we intend to embrace as we go forward on this are a sense of Sabbath (rest that keeps us from being consumed by the busyness of life) and Neighborliness (the opportunity to fellowship and serve in making a difference in mission and caring.)
If you have thoughts on this, or can think of people who might be reached by a different approach, go to the church web site osumc.org, click on the “Links” tab and then the blog site and share your comments and thoughts. I am praying that this summer will be a season of growth. Growth of the spirit necessary to make a new worship experience work. Pastor Steve

IS IT HARDER TO BE POOR IN...

At our last Calcutta Group meeting the comment was made that it is harder to be poor in America than in a third world country. What do you think? On the one hand the resources of America mean that even the poorest persons have some chance to get food and shelter and even emergency room medical care if they are willing to put up with all the "restrictions" or "hassles" that getting these resources entails. In many third world countries no such aid is available. On the other hand, when most people are poor there might not be the psychological, emotional or spiritual humiliation that exists in America.

Another way to come at this question might be to ask the question of, "Who's suffering is greater, the poor of America or the poor of say Haiti?" In Mountains Beyond Mountains Paul Farmer has some things to say about comparing suffering. His basic message is go to Haiti, see the situation; then if you still want to talk about who's suffering more you will at least have some first hand experience.

Spitting contests are rarely helpful. Your pain isn’t as bad as mine, your loss isn’t as great as mine. It’s kind of like... His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9:2 NRSV) Jesus responds with looking at the situation totally differently. He "sees" the opportunity to bring healing and sight rather than to fix blame.

Discussion and gathering information are essential to acting intelligently, but it is also essential to move beyond discussion to the doing. What do you think?