First Sunday (Weekend)

I celebrated my first Sunday at Rehobeth UMC on July 15th. (Better said, my first weekend).

That first weekend started on Wednesday evening as the bell choir gathered for a practice, followed by choir practice.

There was special music planned for my first Sunday, so I did not  stay and listen, but I did get to meet Jean Sheets, the 89 year old mother of our choir director, Carol Graham.  What a bundle of joy in her short frame.

The following day, as I was working on the details for Sunday, and about to go to my first committee meeting, I get a call from the family that Jean had died unexpectedly on Thursday morning.

In a moment, my first Sunday got more complicated.  Our musicians would not be available, we added a service to Sunday afternoon, and we worked through all kinds of calendar issues to do what Miss Jean would have wanted.

This is when I discovered what a grace-filled church Rehobeth truly is.  I saw folks turn out in droves on Saturday evening for visitation that was held at the church (which elegantly combines the old sanctuary from the 1800's with the new sanctuary).  This was my first time to meet lots of folks from the community.  People turned out to set-up, clean up and get ready for Sunday, and they did it with an uncommon ease.

Sunday morning started at 8:45 am, with the "casual service" which was not only casual, but worshipful.  I preached to about 60 people who were eager to meet the new preacher in the middle of July.  The later service was at 10:45 am, and there were another 125 more who came out for a more traditional service.  They laughed through my mistakes, since their traditions were all new to me, and a bit different than my last congregation.  And my sermon was well received.

Then we went down to the Family Life Center for a covered dish lunch that was best described as a heavenly banquet. They showed Southern hospitality to a group of folks who turned out in such numbers that more tables had to be placed. There was enough food for another meal when it was over.  My son, who was in attendance, had never seen anything like it.

We finished in time to get ready for a 3:00 pm service for Jean Sheets, which was truly a celebration of life.  Great hymns of the church were sung and played throughout.  After singing "Victory in Jesus" as a congregation, I felt like I had been to a revival, not a funeral.  We celebrated resurrection that day like it is meant to be.

The day was not over, Vacation Bible School began at 5:30 pm on Sunday evening.  People who were in church all weekend were back to serve the children of the community.  Volunteers were in abundance, a bunch of children showed up, the mood was joyous.

By the time I got home at 8:30 pm, I was tired.  My feet were sore.  My body was numb.

My heart was full.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Camping and Camp Meeting

Image
My son called me on Monday to tell me about his week at Wilderness Trail .  I think this is his 12th year to be involved in that ministry either as a camper or a staff person. He spent three years as a counselor, and was an assistant director his last year on staff.  The past two years he has gone up to lead hikes for a week at a time. I spent time as a Camp Director, and have spent many days as a volunteer in summer camps over the past 40+ years of my life.  I know the power of camping and outdoor ministries. I am writing this while camp meeting is going on at Rock Springs Camp Ground in Denver, NC. In the next week, Ball's Creek Camp Meeting will be in full swing. Both camp meetings and church camping have been instrumental in the life of the church for over 200 years. The best that I can tell, the very first camp meeting in America was held in 1794 on the grounds that Rehobeth United Methodist Church occupies now.  As I write, I look out on a plot of la...
Read more

What does "Welcome" look like?

Image
We have been at the new appointment for a little over 24 hours.  It is now the evening of the 4th of July, and we just finished our first cookout on the back deck of the new parsonage.  It is an evening to give thanks...and to ponder what "Welcome" looks like... It is a lawn full of cars of folks who came to help unload a moving truck on a warm afternoon (warm is being generous based on the sweltering heat). It is a refrigerator and counter full of food that is easy to prepare and eat during the first few days in a new home.   A check that covers the difference between the standard moving allowance and the actual cost of hiring a moving company to handle the major portion of the move. A kitchen full of folks helping unpack dishes and household items and taking directions from someone they just met. A parsonage committee that did a bang-up job of preparing a house for occupancy.  After many moves over the years, I have never seen a parsonage file so deta...
Read more

Labor Day Weekend

Image
When I was younger, Labor Day was a turning point in the year. Some places that I lived, school started the Tuesday immediately following Labor Day. I guess, because I liked school, it was a pretty good time. In other places, we had already been in school a couple of weeks, so the holiday weekend reminded us that there would not be another holiday for a long time (usually Thanksgiving).  Ouch! I seem to remember among the proper women of the Deep South, Labor Day was when they stopped wearing white shoes and dresses.  (I am not sure if that is even a thing anymore.) For some of my friends, Labor Day Weekend was the last opportunity to go to the beach before fall.  Now that I am older, I never schedule a beach trip until the fall to avoid the crowds. I, personally, don't like the traffic or the waits to get a table in a restaurant. On this Labor Day, I am not working, though I did pop into the office to take care of a few things. Sometimes I am asked about my s...
Read more