First Monday in November

Rain is in the forecast for this week, the first full week of November, a good time for rain to begin and hopefully continue through till spring.

Because we are in desperate need of rain, there is no complaining about the wet, slick roads and the rain that makes outdoor work more difficult. My plan for today is to get the standing fans back to the storage unit. But, you know, if it’s raining…

There is a meeting at 4 for the church’s preschool board. This is my fourth year on the board and I don’t feel well equipped to serve, but I try to show up and be an encouraging voice for the hard work that is being done there. Right now, I’m concerned that we are looking at dollars and cents rather than ministry. After coming through the past two years, still operating, still standing, I cannot imagine thinking about making a hasty decision on closing. There is money in the bank, but it’s a fiscally conservative finance board on the church’s side that is attempting to call the shots. We must stand together, and stand firm.

Speaking of church, we had a lovely stewardship luncheon yesterday, kicking off stewardship pledge month. Large turnout for a barbecued chicken meal. Attendance has been increasing in the Sunday service, too, as people are coming out of the shadows and seeing that we are still standing, still functioning, We have visitors who I greet and many tell me they come for the peaceful calm services with the beautiful music. A drastic contrast to the outside world. It’s something people are hungry for, away from the tumult of political rhetoric and economic uncertainty. There is no rhetoric or uncertainty with God.

The election on Tuesday will either calm or stir up the marauding throngs who are determined to have their way over the way society is lived here in America. I am praying for calm acceptance of whatever may happen.

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Pondering worship

Do you attend church? Temple? I was raised going to church almost every Sunday and for the last 40 years Terry and I have continued that practice. I love worshipping with other believers, preferably in a beautiful place. These are other elements I love:

• An order of service
• Organ music
• Stained glass
• Candles
• Hymns
• Prayer
• Bible reading
• Applicable sermon
• Pews
• About one hour in length

Am I asking too much? I was beginning to think so. Many churches have begun to look and sound more like a night club than a church. It’s necessary to attract younger people.  Or to attract non-church goers. Not a bad thing at all. Except for  me.

I attended a classical music concert at a nearby Presbyterian Church last winter. Not only was the music lovely with the addition of the church’s organ, but the visual appeal was evident. Midcentury architecture with a colored glass ceiling overhead and stained glass windows lining the sides of the large room. Plenty of wood and there were pews. I was delighted when I found that this congregation still had traditional services with all those things that I listed above.

Having attended this Presbyterian church a few Sundays here and there since April, I am swooning over the experience. As I left last Sunday’s service, I stopped and told the minister that it was like an oasis in the desert.

I believe we should all have a place to worship that makes us comfortable. After all these decades of attending a Baptist church that I have loved, now I am pondering if I should make a change.