Union friends,
Most Wednesdays, in my Midweek article, I try to share with you some thoughts about the upcoming sermon, including the scripture for the day and offering ways you can begin thinking about it prior to Sunday. This week I want to do something a little different.
This Sunday will be our seventeenth Sunday out of the building. We have been in quarantine almost 1/3 of a calendar year. As we look around, we can see how this has affected so much of our lives. Many have been asking the question, “when can we get back to normal?” Unfortunately, I believe that we will not see the “normal” of the past, and for many of us, that is disheartening. But, I want to offer a different thought. Perhaps we can look at what is to come as a new opportunity. What does God have for us personally, in our families, and in our churches, as we move forward? This thought process and the actions that will result will stretch us beyond what is imaginable.
This week, I read an article by Bill Wilson, the director of the Center for Healthy Churches entitled What Will We See Less of and More of in Churches in the 2020s? I want to offer just a few of his reflections to you today to guide us toward some new opportunities that God has for Union. Rather than dwelling on returning to “normal,” let’s look to the future with new eyes.
One of his “less than” thoughts is:
The days of engaging the vast majority of our parishioners in Sunday worship only are rapidly going the way of the typewriter. The virus has shown us another way, and we will need to follow it.
I would ask: How will Union seek to build upon this new way of engaging our church family and community?
And, one of his “more than” thoughts is:
A 7-day-a-week model of engagement of stakeholders will become the new norm for thriving churches. We will count differently, as we realize that much of our most important work occurs on days other than Sunday.
I would ask: How will Union seek to enlarge our ministry offerings? Can we be more than just the number of people in the building on Sundays?
If you would be interested in reading his entire article, I point you here.
- Pastor Jane