On the Weekend!

Tomorrow, Sunday, October 21, 2007, the church we attend (my family, that is) will celebrate 75 years of ministry in Visalia, CA. That is a lot of events. Yes, churches are in the event business. Now before you take me to task over that one, I understand the mission of a church, any church is NOT to do events, but to use events to communicate their message to as many people as possible and the success of a church may depend on how well they produce these public events. Music. The universal language. Churches who have great music leaders and up-to-date musical events are often among the fastest growing in any community. I know of churches who do music very well and therefore attract lots of people with their music events. Not all of these churches are into contemporary worship, in fact, there are some amazing churches who attract people with fantastic classical music. A big church outside of Phoenix brings in the Phoenix Symphony for special concerts, attracting hundreds of potential new members through these special concerts! I love it. People want to be with people, enjoying some mutually understood activity in a variety of settings. Isn't that what we all want? When you go out with your husband, wife, or significant other (PC term to be sure!) what makes you happy? A Coldplay concert? Swing dancing? Watching the latest movie? Why do we love to attend group events? Some would suggest that one day the virtual world of computer generated activities will make public events all but obsolete. I beg to differ, simply because we NEED each other. I know, you don't want to admit that any more than I do, but it's true. You need that bozo in the cubicle next to you, not because he has something you want, but simply because it makes us more human when we interact. We share laughter, heartache, life, as we sing, dance and mill around in churches that often bear no resemblance to traditional spired buildings. So take your S.O. to the latest show and, when you feel joy, or whatever, look up to the heavens and thank God (seriously) that you were there!