Wasn’t it wonderful to have Musician Carrie Newcomer in worship with us last Sunday—to receive her strong message of the sacred and sublime in the mundane and ridiculous, to have her affirm us for “all the children in worship” and “the huge spirit in this church”?! What a gift Carrie’s ministry was to us!
And wasn’t it wonderful to have 65 newcomers at the “New Friends Luncheon” two Sundays ago (we guessed we’d have 35 or 40)?!
What did the folks attending the luncheon have in common? Each person had recently taken the bold step of walking into the unfamiliar territory of a UCC church, which for some took great courage and resolve. As we all know, church can be at least unfamiliar and at most scary for many. Each person who walks through our door brings a lifetime of experiences with churches, organized religion and the practitioners of faith. Some of those experiences are wonderful and some not. In ways that none of us fully realize, however, the Spirit compelled them, as it compelled each of us to cross the threshold and we are grateful for it.
Judging from the stories of our new friends, visiting ORUCC turned out to be a very positive experience! One newcomer shared, “The thing I love about this church is that it practices what it preaches. It claims to be ‘an inclusive community.’ I’ve noticed that the church is inclusive not only of different kinds of people, but of different styles of worship. I love that!”
Another person shared, “Even though this is my first Sunday visiting ORUCC, I sense the positive energy of the pastors and congregants, even of the capital campaign. This church is going to explode in number!”
I think everyone should be able to make a few close friends at church, don’t you? Hopefully, we’ll be able to continue hosting events like these luncheons and help one another work through the jitters of linking with a new congregation together as a group, rather than in isolation.
