I am one who thinks that every birthday and anniversary should be celebrated. Perhaps that is why I do not turn down the opportunity to preach for a congregation’s anniversary, even if it is an odd year. Once in a while I will preach for a 100th or 150th anniversary (usually if our bishop is not available), but I more commonly am invited for an 85th or 117th.
To prepare for such a visit, I generally try to read some of the congregation’s history so I can better understand the context. A congregation’s past is important to know because it has shaped who and what it is today. My sermon message, however, is always forward-looking. It is the future mission of the congregation that concerns me most.
Earlier this summer our family joined in the 100th anniversary festivities of my wife’s hometown in North Dakota. The celebration spanned two days. On the third day, the congregation that had nurtured my wife as a child also celebrated its 100th anniversary. We were there for that celebration too.
This very small town in North Dakota has seen more prosperous days. It must have taken an extraordinary effort to stage the celebration with two catered picnics, a parade, games, and an auction. Everyone who still lives in town must have had a part to play in welcoming all of the guests who came back.
The same was true of the church. The small congregation put its very best foot forward in preparing for the day. The pews were packed full. The church basement was too small to accommodate everyone for the catered dinner, so extra tables and chairs were set outside.
I know some of the history of this congregation. I was, after all, present for its 75th anniversary program some 25 years ago! This congregation reflects the demographics of the town and is also not what it once was. There are about 40 people there on a normal Sunday morning.
As we worshiped that anniversary morning, I could identify who some of those 40 regulars are. They were ushering and greeting and reading and singing and setting tables and making sure that even people like me who never had a real connection to them were welcomed and comfortable and had a bulletin and worship book.
If I were one of those 40, I am sure that I would have been pleased to see the church full of happy people. But, I wonder what the feeling was like the next Sunday, when all the guests had gone home and the 40 regulars were there but exhausted. I hope, as they gathered for worship, they were focused on the mission of the church and their future. It would be easy to dwell on the past. It is imperative that the church always look forward.
Comments? Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com/. --JC
To prepare for such a visit, I generally try to read some of the congregation’s history so I can better understand the context. A congregation’s past is important to know because it has shaped who and what it is today. My sermon message, however, is always forward-looking. It is the future mission of the congregation that concerns me most.
Earlier this summer our family joined in the 100th anniversary festivities of my wife’s hometown in North Dakota. The celebration spanned two days. On the third day, the congregation that had nurtured my wife as a child also celebrated its 100th anniversary. We were there for that celebration too.This very small town in North Dakota has seen more prosperous days. It must have taken an extraordinary effort to stage the celebration with two catered picnics, a parade, games, and an auction. Everyone who still lives in town must have had a part to play in welcoming all of the guests who came back.
The same was true of the church. The small congregation put its very best foot forward in preparing for the day. The pews were packed full. The church basement was too small to accommodate everyone for the catered dinner, so extra tables and chairs were set outside.
I know some of the history of this congregation. I was, after all, present for its 75th anniversary program some 25 years ago! This congregation reflects the demographics of the town and is also not what it once was. There are about 40 people there on a normal Sunday morning.
As we worshiped that anniversary morning, I could identify who some of those 40 regulars are. They were ushering and greeting and reading and singing and setting tables and making sure that even people like me who never had a real connection to them were welcomed and comfortable and had a bulletin and worship book.If I were one of those 40, I am sure that I would have been pleased to see the church full of happy people. But, I wonder what the feeling was like the next Sunday, when all the guests had gone home and the 40 regulars were there but exhausted. I hope, as they gathered for worship, they were focused on the mission of the church and their future. It would be easy to dwell on the past. It is imperative that the church always look forward.
Comments? Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com/. --JC
