I believe that this disease and the resulting isolation and then division in our churches, as well as our schools, communities, and even families, has been one the the devil's greatest tools of all time. The frenzy about vaccinations and distancing and masking etc has driven people to act in a way that is unreasonable and certainly not loving. We are not just responsible adults, but we are Christians. If I am sick, I am not coming to church. If I am not sick, I am not going to give anyone covid. I trust the others in my church to do the same. At that point the masks and vaccines become moot. This whole thing has gotten out of hand, driven by a very secular government, and it seems the entire nation has come under its spell. Its makes me so sad for the church. As a side note, it is important also to realize that being vaccinated does not mean that you will not get or give covid. So we are back to square one it seems based on the latest CDC guidance. Are we ready to close our church doors again? I hope not. I pray not.
Edward, I think it is also very important to have understanding and love for those that have received the vaccination if the latest CDC guidance (masking/distancing required with vax or without) and evidence (vaccinated people show a similar viral load as unvaccinated people) prove true and the vaccine is not the solution we were all hoping for. I think we all knew there were some risks in getting this vaccine and we did it for the health and well-being of our families, churches, etc. Regardless of personal beliefs about the pandemic and mitigation methods, we need to strive to produce the fruits of the spirit here, thinking especially of love, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. I do 100% agree that churches should be open and that we should rely on our fellow members to not come if they are sick (symptomatic).
My personal opinion is that there is not enough information here to answer the question. I think its obvious that if this person refuses to participate in communion, in a belligerent or devisive way, in a church where communion is a sacred sacrament, that they should not be considered eligible. The form for ordination even states that "Elders must provide for... regular celebration of the sacraments..."
My concern here is that we don't know why this person has "consistently not taken communion". Is this a person that travels a lot? An alcoholic in a church that serves only wine? Has celiac disease with no gluten-free option? There could be a variety of reasons this person has not taken communion. If the original poster has concerns about an elder nominee, I would encourage her to share those with her elder or in a communication to elders or council.
My church has a monthly evening worship service that we call "Third Thursday" or 3T. We do it in sept, oct, nov and feb, mar, april. The summer and winter months are typically too busy to keep it going during those times. Each service consists primarily of a time of singing praises, though there is also prayer, Bible reading, and a short (usually about 10 minutes) message. I have to disagree with Richard above about music being only the wheat of the worship bread. I do agree, however, that performance is not worship. We may have one song that is a performance piece, but usually all of our music is meant to be sung and participated in by the attendees and the focus is squarly centered on God. We enter His courts with praise, and that is the goal of the 3T services, to help each individual enter His courts by facilitating that praise. Of course its a personal and individual journey, but the atmosphere, fellowship, and music is a catalyst for that. Based on my conversations with attendees, may leave spiritually refreshed and recharged for the week.
I strongly encourage you, Jennifer, and would be happy to talk to you about it more. Thanks to dedicated musicians and staff, this was not that dificult to pull off, and attendance has been better than our regular sunday night service. Additoinally, we have had more visitors during these worship services. Also, we have started providing a soup dinner or tying in youth taco and spaghetti dinner fund raisers before, and this has really become a great mid-week opportunity for fellowship as well.
One other thing, we have always felt that quality is important for these worship services. This is not an opportunity for everyon who wants to participate to get a chance to play guitar or sing in church. In my opinoin, if the songs cant be done on a professional level, it would be a distraction and not conducive to worship or praise.
I would tend to agree with these three. We as deacons are striving this year to become more connected with our congregation though direct contact, being available and being visible. This is something that we have identified as being very important in plugging into our role as leaders in all facets of stewardship.
Also, I am very glad to see the comment on an "eye for gifts". There are so many resources other than financial available in the church. Its nice to provide benevolent funds to a widow that has a flooded basement, but how much better is it to connect that person with a church member who is an electrician or contractor, and a youth small group willing to do cleanup, and an organized member to help with planning. What a vibrant church we could have if we all worked together and made these connections in this way! So we are striving to identify not only the needs in our congregation and community, but the resources available to help meet those needs. Especially during times of economic difficulty.
Finally, enough cannot be said about prayer. None of these good or great deacon attributes are effective without His support.
Posted in: Vaccination Status of Church Volunteers?
I believe that this disease and the resulting isolation and then division in our churches, as well as our schools, communities, and even families, has been one the the devil's greatest tools of all time. The frenzy about vaccinations and distancing and masking etc has driven people to act in a way that is unreasonable and certainly not loving. We are not just responsible adults, but we are Christians. If I am sick, I am not coming to church. If I am not sick, I am not going to give anyone covid. I trust the others in my church to do the same. At that point the masks and vaccines become moot. This whole thing has gotten out of hand, driven by a very secular government, and it seems the entire nation has come under its spell. Its makes me so sad for the church. As a side note, it is important also to realize that being vaccinated does not mean that you will not get or give covid. So we are back to square one it seems based on the latest CDC guidance. Are we ready to close our church doors again? I hope not. I pray not.
Posted in: Vaccination Status of Church Volunteers?
Edward, I think it is also very important to have understanding and love for those that have received the vaccination if the latest CDC guidance (masking/distancing required with vax or without) and evidence (vaccinated people show a similar viral load as unvaccinated people) prove true and the vaccine is not the solution we were all hoping for. I think we all knew there were some risks in getting this vaccine and we did it for the health and well-being of our families, churches, etc. Regardless of personal beliefs about the pandemic and mitigation methods, we need to strive to produce the fruits of the spirit here, thinking especially of love, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. I do 100% agree that churches should be open and that we should rely on our fellow members to not come if they are sick (symptomatic).
Posted in: Eligibility Question for Elder Nominee
My personal opinion is that there is not enough information here to answer the question. I think its obvious that if this person refuses to participate in communion, in a belligerent or devisive way, in a church where communion is a sacred sacrament, that they should not be considered eligible. The form for ordination even states that "Elders must provide for... regular celebration of the sacraments..."
My concern here is that we don't know why this person has "consistently not taken communion". Is this a person that travels a lot? An alcoholic in a church that serves only wine? Has celiac disease with no gluten-free option? There could be a variety of reasons this person has not taken communion. If the original poster has concerns about an elder nominee, I would encourage her to share those with her elder or in a communication to elders or council.
-m
Posted in: What's a good way to organize a special evening of worship?
My church has a monthly evening worship service that we call "Third Thursday" or 3T. We do it in sept, oct, nov and feb, mar, april. The summer and winter months are typically too busy to keep it going during those times. Each service consists primarily of a time of singing praises, though there is also prayer, Bible reading, and a short (usually about 10 minutes) message. I have to disagree with Richard above about music being only the wheat of the worship bread. I do agree, however, that performance is not worship. We may have one song that is a performance piece, but usually all of our music is meant to be sung and participated in by the attendees and the focus is squarly centered on God. We enter His courts with praise, and that is the goal of the 3T services, to help each individual enter His courts by facilitating that praise. Of course its a personal and individual journey, but the atmosphere, fellowship, and music is a catalyst for that. Based on my conversations with attendees, may leave spiritually refreshed and recharged for the week.
I strongly encourage you, Jennifer, and would be happy to talk to you about it more. Thanks to dedicated musicians and staff, this was not that dificult to pull off, and attendance has been better than our regular sunday night service. Additoinally, we have had more visitors during these worship services. Also, we have started providing a soup dinner or tying in youth taco and spaghetti dinner fund raisers before, and this has really become a great mid-week opportunity for fellowship as well.
One other thing, we have always felt that quality is important for these worship services. This is not an opportunity for everyon who wants to participate to get a chance to play guitar or sing in church. In my opinoin, if the songs cant be done on a professional level, it would be a distraction and not conducive to worship or praise.
I pray that God will bless your efforts!
-m
Posted in: Any Current or Past Elders?
Oh hi there, yes I eldered. Could not have done it without a lot of prayer and time spent in the word. It was a great time of spiritual growth for me.
Posted in: The Story Behind the Story - Three Practices Make a Great Deacon
I would tend to agree with these three. We as deacons are striving this year to become more connected with our congregation though direct contact, being available and being visible. This is something that we have identified as being very important in plugging into our role as leaders in all facets of stewardship.
Also, I am very glad to see the comment on an "eye for gifts". There are so many resources other than financial available in the church. Its nice to provide benevolent funds to a widow that has a flooded basement, but how much better is it to connect that person with a church member who is an electrician or contractor, and a youth small group willing to do cleanup, and an organized member to help with planning. What a vibrant church we could have if we all worked together and made these connections in this way! So we are striving to identify not only the needs in our congregation and community, but the resources available to help meet those needs. Especially during times of economic difficulty.
Finally, enough cannot be said about prayer. None of these good or great deacon attributes are effective without His support.
Thanks Karl!
-matt bulthuis, deacon
Faith CRC