Typically the elders of Telkwa CRC serve the bread and juice to the people in the pews; a few weeks ago, we invited people forward. My personal preference is to alternate between these two methods. When people are served in the pews, it reminds me of how God blesses us even before we "get up" and do anything; when the elders come to the people and serve them, it reminds me of how Jesus comes to us (Immanuel!) not to be served but to serve. On the other hand, when people come forward, it reminds me of how we are called to respond to God's grace in our lives; the Holy Spirit prompts us to "get up" and do something with the gifts God gives us.
I think both (and other) methods of partaking in the sacrament can be meaningful... We just need to sometimes stop to think about them and what they signify.
We've starting having "Lunch Bunch" once a month or so at Telkwa (BC) CRC. People are simply invited to bring their lunch on a particular Sunday – plus some extra to share with guests – and stay after the service to eat and fellowship together. It requires little more than an announcement the week before and setting up some tables the day of. I've only heard positive remarks since a member got this going earlier this year. – Stanley
It surprises me how often webpage designers/programmers do this. With super-fast internet connections and/or ridiculously high bandwidth, maybe they don't even notice. ...Though it comes in handy if you'd like a copy of the little picture and then discover after saving it that it's at a high quality resolution!
Thank you for these reflections. I found them meaningful and reposted most of the above on my blog (providing the appropriate links and credit, of course). http://4thpoint.wordpress.com
Trinity CRC in Rock Valley, Iowa, celebrated 50 years last year. Covid-19 threw wrinkles in some of our plans but we still had a very meaningful weekend of reviewing and celebrating God's faithfulness.
The council formed an anniversary team to plan the event. This team further divided into smaller sub-teams filled with additional members to tackle specific tasks (e.g., Saturday evening event, Sunday worship, food, commemorative book, etc.).
This page on our website will you give a glimpse into what we did: https://trinitycrc.com/trinity-crcs-50th-anniversary. It's not mentioned there, but we also published a book of info and memories from the past 50 years. And we gave away nightlights with Trinity CRC's logo on them as a piece of anniversary memorabilia and a reminder to keep shining for Christ in the years ahead.
Early in our planning we connected with a few other churches that recently celebrated an anniversary. One in particular that gave us some good ideas was Crosspoint CRC in Chino CA: https://www.crosspointchino.org/anniversary.
Hope there's something here you find helpful/inspiring as you celebrate your 10-year milestone! ~Stanley
Usually something gets posted at least once a week. Same as New Hope above, "there's not a lot of two-way conversation on our page," but it's helpful for having an online presence and for alerting people to upcoming events.
That's a fun video. I wish I could make something like that ...without it coming off as hokey and/or tacky. =) I'm sure there are people throughout the denomination who are up for such a task, and I'd love to see they come up with! ~Stan
I appreciate the conversation here. I'd like to respond in particular to something Joe Serge writes, about the baptismal ritual making children members of the family of God. He's absolutely right that the baptism ceremony itself does not make one a child of God – it symbolizes an existing reality. We often use the langauge of "sign" and "seal." But I'm trying to process the assertion that children are not part of the family until they are born again. We hold that children of believers are holy (see 1Cor 7); we comfort grieving parents who lost a little one that they are now with Jesus. This suggests to me that children are indeed part of the family before affirming the faith for themselves. But that leaves us with some tension: What's the point of being born again, as Joe correctly emphasizes, if we're already part of God's covenant family? Or: If there is a point when a child needs to consciously decide that s/he is part of God's family (be born again), how do we know when precisely that has happened or should happen? These are questions I've wondered about.
Tim, how do I search for people on the Network? If I'd like to see, for example, whether "Lisa K" is on the Network – someone who just sent me a message, so I know she's here – and I type "Lisa K" in the search box in my profile, I get no results. What am I missing? Thanks for your time! Stanley
Posted in: Until Next Time...
Thank you Marcel for your excellent work and contributions to the Network! I appreciated it. =) Stan
Posted in: The Elder and Lord’s Supper
Typically the elders of Telkwa CRC serve the bread and juice to the people in the pews; a few weeks ago, we invited people forward. My personal preference is to alternate between these two methods. When people are served in the pews, it reminds me of how God blesses us even before we "get up" and do anything; when the elders come to the people and serve them, it reminds me of how Jesus comes to us (Immanuel!) not to be served but to serve. On the other hand, when people come forward, it reminds me of how we are called to respond to God's grace in our lives; the Holy Spirit prompts us to "get up" and do something with the gifts God gives us.
I think both (and other) methods of partaking in the sacrament can be meaningful... We just need to sometimes stop to think about them and what they signify.
~Stan
Posted in: Do You Belong in Bethlehem?
Beautifully said. Thank you for sharing this! –Stanley
Posted in: Community in a Lonely World
We've starting having "Lunch Bunch" once a month or so at Telkwa (BC) CRC. People are simply invited to bring their lunch on a particular Sunday – plus some extra to share with guests – and stay after the service to eat and fellowship together. It requires little more than an announcement the week before and setting up some tables the day of. I've only heard positive remarks since a member got this going earlier this year. – Stanley
Posted in: Identity or Intruder
What Michael B wrote above reflects my thoughts precisely. Indeed a new and helpful perspective for me. Thank you!
Posted in: How to Correctly Display Photos
It surprises me how often webpage designers/programmers do this. With super-fast internet connections and/or ridiculously high bandwidth, maybe they don't even notice. ...Though it comes in handy if you'd like a copy of the little picture and then discover after saving it that it's at a high quality resolution!
Posted in: The Easter Story and the Way of the Elder
Thank you for these reflections. I found them meaningful and reposted most of the above on my blog (providing the appropriate links and credit, of course). http://4thpoint.wordpress.com
Posted in: Ideas for Marking a Church Anniversary?
Hi Kelli,
Trinity CRC in Rock Valley, Iowa, celebrated 50 years last year. Covid-19 threw wrinkles in some of our plans but we still had a very meaningful weekend of reviewing and celebrating God's faithfulness.
The council formed an anniversary team to plan the event. This team further divided into smaller sub-teams filled with additional members to tackle specific tasks (e.g., Saturday evening event, Sunday worship, food, commemorative book, etc.).
This page on our website will you give a glimpse into what we did: https://trinitycrc.com/trinity-crcs-50th-anniversary. It's not mentioned there, but we also published a book of info and memories from the past 50 years. And we gave away nightlights with Trinity CRC's logo on them as a piece of anniversary memorabilia and a reminder to keep shining for Christ in the years ahead.
Early in our planning we connected with a few other churches that recently celebrated an anniversary. One in particular that gave us some good ideas was Crosspoint CRC in Chino CA: https://www.crosspointchino.org/anniversary.
Hope there's something here you find helpful/inspiring as you celebrate your 10-year milestone!
~Stanley
Posted in: Does Your Church Have an Active Facebook Page?
facebook.com/telkwacrc
Usually something gets posted at least once a week. Same as New Hope above, "there's not a lot of two-way conversation on our page," but it's helpful for having an online presence and for alerting people to upcoming events.
Stanley
Posted in: A Denomination-Wide Video Contest
That's a fun video. I wish I could make something like that ...without it coming off as hokey and/or tacky. =) I'm sure there are people throughout the denomination who are up for such a task, and I'd love to see they come up with! ~Stan
Posted in: Invited
I appreciate the conversation here. I'd like to respond in particular to something Joe Serge writes, about the baptismal ritual making children members of the family of God. He's absolutely right that the baptism ceremony itself does not make one a child of God – it symbolizes an existing reality. We often use the langauge of "sign" and "seal." But I'm trying to process the assertion that children are not part of the family until they are born again. We hold that children of believers are holy (see 1Cor 7); we comfort grieving parents who lost a little one that they are now with Jesus. This suggests to me that children are indeed part of the family before affirming the faith for themselves. But that leaves us with some tension: What's the point of being born again, as Joe correctly emphasizes, if we're already part of God's covenant family? Or: If there is a point when a child needs to consciously decide that s/he is part of God's family (be born again), how do we know when precisely that has happened or should happen? These are questions I've wondered about.
Posted in: Follow a User Via Email Alerts [Feature]
Tim, how do I search for people on the Network? If I'd like to see, for example, whether "Lisa K" is on the Network – someone who just sent me a message, so I know she's here – and I type "Lisa K" in the search box in my profile, I get no results. What am I missing? Thanks for your time! Stanley