Skip to main content

Stories from Ministry - Things You Can't Make Up Pt. 2

The following story is true. Names have been changed to protect individuals.

For a Maundy Thursday service, I decided to move worship to the fellowship hall so we could have a meal during worship. As part of the service, we read scripture to move us through the events of the night as recorded in the Gospels. There were 12 readings throughout the service/meal so I had 12 candles lit on the table. As different readings were completed, someone was asked to extinguish a candle close to them. Because this was a new format for the service, the bulletins were printed differently. We started the service and get to the opening prayer. As I'm mid prayer, one congregant starts yelling the name of  another.

I keep praying because I have no idea what's going on. I'm looking at people trying to figure out what's happening. This congregant never yells and definitely wouldn't be yelling at this person. Finally my congregant realizes we need more direction then him just yelling a name and he yells the person's name and "FIRE!!!" We all look up and realize that the other person had bowed their head and leaned forward on the table. They kept their bulletin in their hands so when they leaned forward, the bulletin was put in a candle. The bulletin was half burnt up and quickly approaching the member's hands. 

I ran over with a cup of grape juice and put the bulletin in the cup to extinguish the fire. We all started to laugh and laugh. To this day, whenever these two members get together the one still asks "why are you yelling at me?" and the other responds with "don't burn down the church."

Moral of the story: when you change worship and the bulletin don't add more fire to the tables.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2024 Wrap Up

 Happy New Year's Eve! 2024 is almost gone as I type this. And it's been ... a year. To whomever may be reading this know this: I'm glad you made it through 2024. You're you and you're here. That's enough. Whether you met your goal/goals or not, you survived. You're still breathing - even if it's hard to do sometimes. I'm proud of you. Keep going. Even if all you can manage is the next minute. Keep going.  Here is my updates and reflection on 2024. The biggest thing for me has been my move and new ministry in Wisconsin. I said goodbye to two lovely rural Nebraska churches in February and started my new ministry in Wisconsin March 1. It was funny that I was actually attending a UCCB meeting in Ohio when I officially met my new conference minister in person on March 1. God has a sense of humor. This past 9 months has been learning about the systems of the church and the community and trying to find my place. I haven't been perfect in this, but I...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stories from Ministry - Things You Can't Make Up

Funerals can bring out the best or the worst in people/families. Here's a story from a funeral that I can't make up. Note that this story is not from my current ministry setting and names and identifying information has been changed. I was asked to officiate a funeral for a family that wasn't connected to a church but wanted a minister. I met with the family before the funeral and learned I was only meeting part of the family and that there was some sort of rift between the adult children. I made a mental note but the family seemed to be okay. Fast forward to the day of the funeral. I arrive half way through the visitation before the service and check in with the funeral home and family and things seem to be okay. It's clear that there's a divide between the children but folks seem to be staying on their respected sides and behaving. The service goes off well and the casket gets loaded into the hearse. Family members get in their vehicles and I get in the hearse wit...
1 comment
Read more

Political vs. Partisan in Preaching

For years now, I have heard in preaching and clergy circles about being political in sermons; the good, the bad and those who state that church shouldn’t be political. There are workshops, books, and podcasts talking about politics in the church with a variety of opinions. What do people mean when they make the statement that the church shouldn’t be political? The IRS has the most say about the rules for the separation of church and state/politics. If your church wants to be tax exempt, there are rules: don’t endorse any candidate or party, if you allow one party to use your space, other political parties also must be allowed to use the space, etc. The UCC’s general counsel, Heather Kimmell, has a webinar on this topic if you’d like to hear a more detailed explanation which can be found on the UCC’s YouTube channel. Churches have gotten “creative” in how to get around this, often partnering with another non-profit group to give support to a particular group. The UCC is proud to claim...
Post a Comment
Read more