I have now been attending 2 churches for about a year.
Either I'm becoming quite comfy in my newer church, or my AV background allows me to be obnoxious in the middle of a church service.
One of the female pastors was sharing a bit about a recent missionary trip before she started preaching, and at the beginning she had a little issue with the volume and assumed it would be resolved. It wasn't.
I was about four rows back and I could hear her just fine. Still, I've learned that what I consider perfectly audible, others consider too dang quiet. Five minutes progressed, she showed slides, and her mission trip was discussed rather nicely. As she pulled open her bible to start preaching, I leaned forward slighty, and with my "announcement voice" told her
"You might want to grab a handheld mic because we can't hear you."
She fumbled a bit with her battery pack, one of the techs started talking to her, and eventually she got her switch moved from "standby" to "on".
I'd like to think I didn't embarass her, but I saw no reason to draw attention to it afterwards. I rationalized that if anyone was going to want to hear something, they would want to hear the sermon. And if someone was going to talk back in church, why not me? (Charismatic, we ain't.)
So derive from this two lessons: I have absolutely no problem looking like a jerk in church. I'll mention technical/format issues during your sermon time any day of the week. (Most likely Sunday, I'd assume.) Also, just use handheld mics. With cords. Lapel mics are pure evil.
Showing posts with label service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label service. Show all posts
Friday, August 14, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
See it, believe it; ideally, both
1 Corinthians 13:12 "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face."
I see things much easier and understand them much deeper when I have a picture right in front of me. People always tell the single person that "there are plenty of fish in the sea." The phrase becomes downright annoying and trite. However, when that single person gets out into the world and actually sees all the people around, it rings true and the cliche aspect falls away.
For me, it is rather hard for me to know that I'm surrounded by Christians when Seattle doesn't exactly encourage following the mainstream religious beliefs. Great for people who don't want to be locked into "a certain way" of worshiping, but rather poopy for someone who just wants to talk about God with someone. My delight was rather high up on the scale when I sat in a school auditorium on Easter Sunday, realizing that I was in a room full of people who shared the beliefs that I did, and most of them were around my age. Quite encouraging.
My Mom has no interest in watching Saving Pvt. Ryan or The Passion of the Christ. She can imagine the horrors and details well enough in her brain without exposing herself to that level of gore or pain. Myself, I don't think I need to see every heinous crime re-enacted for me on screen to know that the world is in trouble. However, I would offer that the visual now and then can come in handy. I own Passion and have seen it three times since it was released in theaters. That's just about right for me. I can get an idea of the kind of suffering that Christ suffered and appreciate the fact that it clearly wasn't easy for him. He didn't want to go through that sort of pain. Hits it home a bit better for me.
One of my favorite persons in the world isn't really looking for a church. She is considering the idea of going to a Quaker meeting, but she and her fiancee are rather content to see God in nature. To take examples from what is all around them and apply it to their lives. I can relate.
After a reasonable sermon at church, I trotted off to my quasi-regular jogging location, and started circling around. As I passed a rather large grass patch, I noticed that some folks had taken quite the span of time to erect thousands and thousands of plastic white crosses. After my run I went up to their little tent and found out that it was the Northwest Memorial to the Iraq War. They were quite nice people. They weren't saying war is good or bad. Their group is made up of all kinds of folks. They just wanted to remind people that war costs lives. That people from all over the world, (Australia, Germany, Iraq, Africans) were dying. They wanted people to process the million+ people who had died in a war. By the crowds they had and the attitude I saw of people walking though, looking at all the names, I'd say it worked.
No, don't visualize everything. There isn't time and I am pretty sure it would start to lose its effectiveness. You think you are over-inundated now... oy. Still, visuals help. I think that's why Jesus was such a fan of the parable. You can hear something and think about it in church, but seeing it in front of you can make all the difference.
I see things much easier and understand them much deeper when I have a picture right in front of me. People always tell the single person that "there are plenty of fish in the sea." The phrase becomes downright annoying and trite. However, when that single person gets out into the world and actually sees all the people around, it rings true and the cliche aspect falls away.
For me, it is rather hard for me to know that I'm surrounded by Christians when Seattle doesn't exactly encourage following the mainstream religious beliefs. Great for people who don't want to be locked into "a certain way" of worshiping, but rather poopy for someone who just wants to talk about God with someone. My delight was rather high up on the scale when I sat in a school auditorium on Easter Sunday, realizing that I was in a room full of people who shared the beliefs that I did, and most of them were around my age. Quite encouraging.
My Mom has no interest in watching Saving Pvt. Ryan or The Passion of the Christ. She can imagine the horrors and details well enough in her brain without exposing herself to that level of gore or pain. Myself, I don't think I need to see every heinous crime re-enacted for me on screen to know that the world is in trouble. However, I would offer that the visual now and then can come in handy. I own Passion and have seen it three times since it was released in theaters. That's just about right for me. I can get an idea of the kind of suffering that Christ suffered and appreciate the fact that it clearly wasn't easy for him. He didn't want to go through that sort of pain. Hits it home a bit better for me.
One of my favorite persons in the world isn't really looking for a church. She is considering the idea of going to a Quaker meeting, but she and her fiancee are rather content to see God in nature. To take examples from what is all around them and apply it to their lives. I can relate.
After a reasonable sermon at church, I trotted off to my quasi-regular jogging location, and started circling around. As I passed a rather large grass patch, I noticed that some folks had taken quite the span of time to erect thousands and thousands of plastic white crosses. After my run I went up to their little tent and found out that it was the Northwest Memorial to the Iraq War. They were quite nice people. They weren't saying war is good or bad. Their group is made up of all kinds of folks. They just wanted to remind people that war costs lives. That people from all over the world, (Australia, Germany, Iraq, Africans) were dying. They wanted people to process the million+ people who had died in a war. By the crowds they had and the attitude I saw of people walking though, looking at all the names, I'd say it worked.
No, don't visualize everything. There isn't time and I am pretty sure it would start to lose its effectiveness. You think you are over-inundated now... oy. Still, visuals help. I think that's why Jesus was such a fan of the parable. You can hear something and think about it in church, but seeing it in front of you can make all the difference.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter-ized
Howdy,
Y'know what the difference is between a guy who has lived all of his conscious life in a church of 40-60 people versus a guy who is visiting an Easter service so large that they have to borrow a school's auditorium? Or have you guessed already...
Folding chairs, we were reduced to folding chairs! I started off pretending that I was going to be okay in timidville, sitting about four rows from the back. But then I saw the green-cushioned chairs, which looked much more comfortable than the all-metal chairs I was currently sitting on. No one was going to notice, people were still dabbling with adjustments, so I went ahead and sat in the third-from the front row. My tushie thanked me. Two hours later, I was quite fidgety. I can't imagine what it would have been like in those metal chairs. I shudder to think.
I'll give the pastor credit. He tried. He tried darn hard to get me to stay after and enjoy the Easter meal. I see-sawed on the issue. The better part of me likes to think that I have the skills to introduce myself to a room full of strangers and get all kinds of chatty with them. Then there's the normal side of me that cherishes the one day a week I'm guaranteed no work. A nice couch at home, a stack of DVDs, and a sleepy cat all awaited me. I helped pack chairs into the truck, looked around the crowd... and the lazy side won.
On one hand, I missed my old church. Not one single person greeted me with "He is risen!" So naturally I couldn't respond with, "He is risen Indeed!" Sigh. The pastor did toss it into his sermon, but he had to say it again to get a response from us.
Looking at hand #2, I'll admit one thing: It's nice to look at a crowded room and know that you're among Christians. That there are hundreds of people around you that believe in God and want to do the right thing.
I'm not saying one service would have been better than the other. I'm not sure which one I would have liked better. But it's one more change I have to either get used to, or learn to do without.
Oh, how to worship God. It's a back and forth, I tell ya!
Y'know what the difference is between a guy who has lived all of his conscious life in a church of 40-60 people versus a guy who is visiting an Easter service so large that they have to borrow a school's auditorium? Or have you guessed already...
Folding chairs, we were reduced to folding chairs! I started off pretending that I was going to be okay in timidville, sitting about four rows from the back. But then I saw the green-cushioned chairs, which looked much more comfortable than the all-metal chairs I was currently sitting on. No one was going to notice, people were still dabbling with adjustments, so I went ahead and sat in the third-from the front row. My tushie thanked me. Two hours later, I was quite fidgety. I can't imagine what it would have been like in those metal chairs. I shudder to think.
I'll give the pastor credit. He tried. He tried darn hard to get me to stay after and enjoy the Easter meal. I see-sawed on the issue. The better part of me likes to think that I have the skills to introduce myself to a room full of strangers and get all kinds of chatty with them. Then there's the normal side of me that cherishes the one day a week I'm guaranteed no work. A nice couch at home, a stack of DVDs, and a sleepy cat all awaited me. I helped pack chairs into the truck, looked around the crowd... and the lazy side won.
On one hand, I missed my old church. Not one single person greeted me with "He is risen!" So naturally I couldn't respond with, "He is risen Indeed!" Sigh. The pastor did toss it into his sermon, but he had to say it again to get a response from us.
Looking at hand #2, I'll admit one thing: It's nice to look at a crowded room and know that you're among Christians. That there are hundreds of people around you that believe in God and want to do the right thing.
I'm not saying one service would have been better than the other. I'm not sure which one I would have liked better. But it's one more change I have to either get used to, or learn to do without.
Oh, how to worship God. It's a back and forth, I tell ya!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Active, Involved, but not Employed
I have an agenda.
There, I said it. I still feel that it is a pretty harmless agenda, though. I think it would be nice to have conversations with people in church.
I know! Scandal!
Two Sundays ago? Sat next to a nice little couple, quite delightful to talk to. Had a brief chat with them this week while I was engaged in a task, and I actually remembered them and their faces. What can I say, in a new church I want to engage people.
Old church, I pretty much know everybody. I don't need to sit next to them during church, I can converse with them afterwards quite easily. We can just pick up where we left off and not have to worry about "who you are and what you're about". Just hop right into the details.
New church, not so much. I know -maybe- 3 people in any given Sunday. Odds of me sitting next to someone I know? Unlikely.
Which doesn't mean I don't see opportunities to help. For example, their slideshows? Arrrgh. Half the time I just want to run up and find out of they are paying attention. The singers jump around, I admit. All singers tend to. But sometimes the slides are just plain bad. However, if I'm up there running the powerpoint? Well then I'm just back in my role from the old church, and I'm unlikely to converse with anyone. Not my ideal scenario.
My small group is trying to organize a blood drive, so we needed to make an announcement. I'm quite used to yelling at large crowds of people, giving them information, and letting them return to their anonymous existences. I volunteered for the first sermon. No one seemed willing to "have a presence" for the second services, so I gave the shpiel for that one too. (For the record? The second shpiel was -much- funnier. But they only laughed at one joke! Oh well.)
Helping out where I can interact? Where I'm allowed to engage people? That I'll do.
Being trapped in the same surroundings I'm take the here-and-there break from?
Nope. Not yet.
There, I said it. I still feel that it is a pretty harmless agenda, though. I think it would be nice to have conversations with people in church.
I know! Scandal!
Two Sundays ago? Sat next to a nice little couple, quite delightful to talk to. Had a brief chat with them this week while I was engaged in a task, and I actually remembered them and their faces. What can I say, in a new church I want to engage people.
Old church, I pretty much know everybody. I don't need to sit next to them during church, I can converse with them afterwards quite easily. We can just pick up where we left off and not have to worry about "who you are and what you're about". Just hop right into the details.
New church, not so much. I know -maybe- 3 people in any given Sunday. Odds of me sitting next to someone I know? Unlikely.
Which doesn't mean I don't see opportunities to help. For example, their slideshows? Arrrgh. Half the time I just want to run up and find out of they are paying attention. The singers jump around, I admit. All singers tend to. But sometimes the slides are just plain bad. However, if I'm up there running the powerpoint? Well then I'm just back in my role from the old church, and I'm unlikely to converse with anyone. Not my ideal scenario.
My small group is trying to organize a blood drive, so we needed to make an announcement. I'm quite used to yelling at large crowds of people, giving them information, and letting them return to their anonymous existences. I volunteered for the first sermon. No one seemed willing to "have a presence" for the second services, so I gave the shpiel for that one too. (For the record? The second shpiel was -much- funnier. But they only laughed at one joke! Oh well.)
Helping out where I can interact? Where I'm allowed to engage people? That I'll do.
Being trapped in the same surroundings I'm take the here-and-there break from?
Nope. Not yet.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A little change o' pace
Sometimes my favorite church services have been a completely unplanned mess. Sometimes ya just gotta chuck the sermon to the wind and let God work in God's own strange ways.
In my home church, if the pastor feels like they aren't supposed to give a message, they won't. Both the current pastor of the church and the one before that. If God tells them to sit down and shut up (which I'm sure God does in a kindlier, less offensive manner), then they do. Maybe we'll end up singing songs out of the hymnal. Maybe we'll all just listen to what's been going on in other people's lives a bit more than usual; hear how God is working in their daily walks. Suits me just fine. Sermon, no sermon, it works.
This Sunday was a bit like that, and it was a nice change of pace. Sang some songs, had some announcements, and then a fellow (Trace Bruno? I think?) who was in town and is having a concert next month came up and played a song on his guitar. Watching a guitar player is always more fun that simply listening to one. He was moving his little wooden clamps, slapping the paneling and the strings, he clearly has his own style and has spent quite a few years on it.
Then they called up some gals from The Sold Project (www.thesoldproject.org). They tried to show a video... let's just say this newer church of mine has some difficulty getting their AV act in synch. They callled up the two gals, and we got a quick little lesson on the international slave trade, and how The Sold Project was created to confront the problem through helping people in Thailand and educating folks about what was going on. The DVD played, and we heard a little bit more about it.
Following that was a brief sermon about the disciples who cured the slave girl of her prophecy gift, and upset the masters because they had been deprived of their income. It referenced the scripture a little, but mostly it built upon the importance of being aware of slavery.
Then we sang some more, Trace played some more, and there was that grand ol' communion. I don't think we focused on any one aspect of church for more than ten minutes in a row. It would probably be a bit too fragmented for my tastes to do it on a regular basis. For this one time though, it was a nice break from the norm. Got an education on all sorts of things. All focused around God. Not too shabby.
In my home church, if the pastor feels like they aren't supposed to give a message, they won't. Both the current pastor of the church and the one before that. If God tells them to sit down and shut up (which I'm sure God does in a kindlier, less offensive manner), then they do. Maybe we'll end up singing songs out of the hymnal. Maybe we'll all just listen to what's been going on in other people's lives a bit more than usual; hear how God is working in their daily walks. Suits me just fine. Sermon, no sermon, it works.
This Sunday was a bit like that, and it was a nice change of pace. Sang some songs, had some announcements, and then a fellow (Trace Bruno? I think?) who was in town and is having a concert next month came up and played a song on his guitar. Watching a guitar player is always more fun that simply listening to one. He was moving his little wooden clamps, slapping the paneling and the strings, he clearly has his own style and has spent quite a few years on it.
Then they called up some gals from The Sold Project (www.thesoldproject.org). They tried to show a video... let's just say this newer church of mine has some difficulty getting their AV act in synch. They callled up the two gals, and we got a quick little lesson on the international slave trade, and how The Sold Project was created to confront the problem through helping people in Thailand and educating folks about what was going on. The DVD played, and we heard a little bit more about it.
Following that was a brief sermon about the disciples who cured the slave girl of her prophecy gift, and upset the masters because they had been deprived of their income. It referenced the scripture a little, but mostly it built upon the importance of being aware of slavery.
Then we sang some more, Trace played some more, and there was that grand ol' communion. I don't think we focused on any one aspect of church for more than ten minutes in a row. It would probably be a bit too fragmented for my tastes to do it on a regular basis. For this one time though, it was a nice break from the norm. Got an education on all sorts of things. All focused around God. Not too shabby.
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