Post 24/2023. Last week went happily zooming by. Various tasks and preparations kept me from writing the weekly blog–until today. I hope to keep it short and snappy.

We were able to walk to church yesterday (just under 30 minutes). Following the worship service, Rebecca Stolzfus, Goshen College president, spoke to three adult Sunday school classes on “What does Mennonite higher education have to offer the world?” Hope to see her presentation as an article down the line. Lots of keen insights.

Overnight two of my brothers were with us following an every-two-years reunion of Voluntary Service workers who had spent a year in Claremont, New Hampshire. They met at one of the couple’s homes in Ohio. That reunion has been going on for 50-plus years.

Words to avoid in church

Concerning church, as in “Words to avoid in church,” I’m sharing some snippets from the editor/publisher of The Christian Century, Peter W. Marty. In the Century’s September issue he writes, “How people come together, stay together, and live expressively depends on language that inspires belonging and faith . . .”

Words to avoid, he notes, include, visitor. “Nobody entering a church deserves to be labeled a visitor. Newcomers may be guests in the house of the Lord, but they’re not visitors. . .. I remember walking into an unfamiliar church with my wife one time and being accosted by a greeter who zeroed in on us like a heat-seeking missile. Determined to pin a carnation on each of us, she was unaware that we weren’t interested in that song and dance. All we wanted was to be received quietly as her equal–two individuals arriving with faith, depth, complexity, and as many life experiences as her own. The next time you invite people to dinner, try to think of them as guests–not visitors–and you might just end up being the host they need you to be.”

Another word to avoid is, “attending,” as in attending church. “Rubbing shoulders with people with whom you may have nothing in common except your humanity and God, but whom you’re willing to let impact the shape and substance of who you are, means it’s time to speak of belonging. I wonder if people who talk of attending their church for years have yet to discover the beauty and significance of belonging.”

Here’s a biggie, family: “It’s great to have ministries that serve families, but try not to speak of your congregation as a family. No matter how intimate your faith community is, you don’t want it to be a family . . . families have scores of customs and conventions that aren’t always obvious or welcoming to newcomers. Scripture reminds us that Jesus broke the hearts of many first-century families as he called people out of their families into a larger life.”

The last item (skipping one) concerns “Join us for . . . This no-no is an easy slip that creeps into announcements. Unless you’re cultivating clubbiness, try a more open invitation for all to join in an activity.”

Puttering place

After an auction in LaGrange County

‘Till next time, savor the bounty of summer.

-John