Back at Easter, a fairly well known author had come to our area, and was looking for a church to hang with for the holiday service. She never made it to ECF...but she did write a nice letter...and here are some excerpts:
One afternoon while we were relaxing at the campsite, I phoned three churches. I asked each receptionist the times of Easter services and, "what might we expect if we would attend your services?" Two had pat answers, prepared descriptions of their church, their style, and their order of service. There's nothing wrong with that, of course. They know who they are and what they're about. Then I phoned your church and got a pleasant woman who wasn't quite sure how to describe the church to me. She didn't know my background or what kind of church I was looking for, so she simply described the couches and the casual mood and then mentioned the sunrise service on the beach that your church was participating in. "It'll be more traditional than our service. We're doing something kind of different. We're just going to sit around on the couches and read the Easter story from The Message." It was so refreshing to hear her be a real person describing a very simple gathering of believers listening and...remembering. Together.
In the end, we couldn't figure out how to pack up our stuff, go to a service and still get out of town in a timely fashion, so we ended up going to the sunrise service...the setting was so real and, shall I say, "organic," maybe, to sit on the beach literally on and around God's creation (I adore the beach and Gulf). I wish the service could have been equally organic and real.
What stood out to me the most that morning was that the most normal people who presented during that service were your guys. Was it your guitarist who led the singing on the two simple songs? I could have sat on that beach and let him lead us in a dozen songs. A guitar on the beach? What can beat that for the simplicity of a sunrise service. Quite a contrast to the lady singing to the trax, and although she did a fine job, I felt more connected with a guitar and a sincere fellow singing without any need for effects or backups. Just a guy worshiping the Lord, offering the option to sing along if I'd like to. And I think it was also one of your guys who read the New Testament passage from John. Normal. He just read it, real, not overly dramatic, not with a pastoral voice with its affectations, nor with the flat tone of someone not connecting with the words on the page. I think he is your youth pastor. He just stood up there and read it, letting himself be moved by the image of the two disciples racing to the tomb, of the tender image of Mary with her Master. I got more from his reading than I did from the pastor who preached. I don't say all of this to compare and make the others look bad in comparison...I guess I felt compelled to tell you that there was a family from out of town, away from their own friends on a significant day on the church calendar, finding a spiritual attraction to your people, not only fellow believers, but perhaps believers on a similar specific path when it comes to relating to God, listening and responding to Him, obeying, belonging to Him alone.
...Thank you for stepping out in faith to become Eastgate Christian Fellowship.
Anyway...that had Riley, Robbie, Brian and myself pretty stoked. Simplicity. I don't want to try and impress people with our great theological views or our pretty stuff...I want people to give a sigh of relief when they brush against the purposeful simplicity that's found in following God.
One afternoon while we were relaxing at the campsite, I phoned three churches. I asked each receptionist the times of Easter services and, "what might we expect if we would attend your services?" Two had pat answers, prepared descriptions of their church, their style, and their order of service. There's nothing wrong with that, of course. They know who they are and what they're about. Then I phoned your church and got a pleasant woman who wasn't quite sure how to describe the church to me. She didn't know my background or what kind of church I was looking for, so she simply described the couches and the casual mood and then mentioned the sunrise service on the beach that your church was participating in. "It'll be more traditional than our service. We're doing something kind of different. We're just going to sit around on the couches and read the Easter story from The Message." It was so refreshing to hear her be a real person describing a very simple gathering of believers listening and...remembering. Together.
In the end, we couldn't figure out how to pack up our stuff, go to a service and still get out of town in a timely fashion, so we ended up going to the sunrise service...the setting was so real and, shall I say, "organic," maybe, to sit on the beach literally on and around God's creation (I adore the beach and Gulf). I wish the service could have been equally organic and real.
What stood out to me the most that morning was that the most normal people who presented during that service were your guys. Was it your guitarist who led the singing on the two simple songs? I could have sat on that beach and let him lead us in a dozen songs. A guitar on the beach? What can beat that for the simplicity of a sunrise service. Quite a contrast to the lady singing to the trax, and although she did a fine job, I felt more connected with a guitar and a sincere fellow singing without any need for effects or backups. Just a guy worshiping the Lord, offering the option to sing along if I'd like to. And I think it was also one of your guys who read the New Testament passage from John. Normal. He just read it, real, not overly dramatic, not with a pastoral voice with its affectations, nor with the flat tone of someone not connecting with the words on the page. I think he is your youth pastor. He just stood up there and read it, letting himself be moved by the image of the two disciples racing to the tomb, of the tender image of Mary with her Master. I got more from his reading than I did from the pastor who preached. I don't say all of this to compare and make the others look bad in comparison...I guess I felt compelled to tell you that there was a family from out of town, away from their own friends on a significant day on the church calendar, finding a spiritual attraction to your people, not only fellow believers, but perhaps believers on a similar specific path when it comes to relating to God, listening and responding to Him, obeying, belonging to Him alone.
...Thank you for stepping out in faith to become Eastgate Christian Fellowship.
Anyway...that had Riley, Robbie, Brian and myself pretty stoked. Simplicity. I don't want to try and impress people with our great theological views or our pretty stuff...I want people to give a sigh of relief when they brush against the purposeful simplicity that's found in following God.
posted by rob at
7:44 AM
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