CURATE’S CORNER:

 CURATE’S CORNER:

There are many great things happening at LCOR and RLS! In my doctrinal work and experience, a solid church is not how large it is or how many programs it offers but rather how the church lives as a family. A tight community that builds relationships between the young and old like a family, accountability, faithfulness, and supports one another like a family. This is the way the Bible describes it as well.

There is a conversation today about 3 spaces. Today, we have work (school) – home – and the third space being a screen (smart phone, tablet). There are few places for youth and adults to gather together to socialize like there were in the early days. It is my personal-pastor goal to create third spaces at church and church activities this coming year.

A start is a tentative plan to have game day from 10 AM -1 PM starting Saturday, January 10th. Last time we had this we had a great turn out of all ages and had a great time. Today, I invite parents with their children and youth in general to meet in the youth room at their usual meeting time of Sundays at 6 PM. We will discuss future opportunities with the youth group.

The past many months, some members including the deacons were discussing about going to one service on Sunday mornings as it was also mentioned at the last voters’ meeting. Also, we would offer an evening service during the week. After conversing with members, there was a significant concern for the older population and the difficulty of getting ready for church but overall members welcomed the idea including the deacons. THIS IS THE TENTATIVE PLAN STARTING SUNDAY, JANUARY 4TH. BIBLE CLASS WOULD BE FROM 9-9:45 AM. DIVINE SERVICE WOULD BE FROM 10-11. And then 11 would be opportunity for 3rd space social time with the congregation. Some suggested a coffee area in the narthex. There is some discussion of different ideas regarding a blended service on Sunday. For the service during the week, we are looking at Mondays at 6 PM. There was consideration of when it gets dark out but realized this happens no matter what time we would start in the evening. This would mean that during Lent for example, there would naturally be two services during the week.

We would look at increasing the times of the praise services with meals on Saturday in order to create another third space. Though we all may have our individual biases, please think about the church as a whole out of Christian love. Please feel to express any thoughts to me or to our deacons.

What happens when a congregation becomes predominately an older population? Change tends to be challenging, leadership in the church is placed upon only a few, activities are for the older population, a decrease of all member events like picnics and other gatherings, and older members tend to become more lonely as their children have moved away or the simple routine at their retirement home. So creating a third space is important for a church to act like a Christian family.

For myself, I am pretty busy, especially helping implement and address things both at LCOR and RLS while taking care of pastoral needs and services. My office time may be limited, centering on visits and appointments but always feel free to connect with me directly. Also, feel free to contribute to the life of our church, even if it is in a small way. Small things can be big things in the life of our church. We are blessed by a loving, caring, and faithful congregation! May God continue to bless us as we move forward with the mission He has placed before us in Christ Jesus. In Christ, Pastor Dreyer