Straight Talk
It's time to consider some basics about our lives as part of this church—your church. Since Lent is a time for deepening and "improving" your spiritual life, please take a couple of points to heart and see how you are doing. From where I sit, it seems that about 60% of us could do better.
Over these first three Sundays in Lent, I've just about concluded that many of our parishioners have given up going to church for Lent! Attendance has been rather dramatically down. Strange, since this has happened right after the year in which we posted our highest average-Sunday-attendance ever (by far!). Why? I'm sure that there are as many reasons as there are people, but ultimately it comes down making worship a priority in your life. Yes, the flu and cruddy colds have taken their toll, but I can't believe that so many empty spaces in the pews are because of illness. Could it be because of the liturgical practices for Lent (Rite I, more somber hymns, etc)? Surely not! We've not been like that in all of my years here, and I don't think we're like that now. Or is it that Lent is just a "downer" generally and so there's less energy for church? If there is something of that going on for you then I hope that you might go to our website and pull up the previous newsletter's article entitled "The Grace of Lent." Maybe you missed it, or perhaps rereading it and spending a bit more time with it might help. Lent is not about the spiritual doldrums! We still have half of Lent to go, including Holy Week. Then Easter and its Great Fifty Days. These are the deepest times of the Christian Year. Resolve now to be faithful in attendance at worship!
I don't really know what's going on with our poor attendance lately but, as your priest, I do know that it is not acceptable. I've always said that worship is the first priority for Christian life; everything else we do is rooted in the ways in which worship feeds and shapes us. And if you are housebound, we'll bring the Church to you! It's not up to me to "make" people come to church; that would be fruitless even if I could. But it is up to all of us to support each other in being here when the family gathers. You may know someone who needs some encouragement to come to church more regularly. We all miss people when they aren't here—let them know they are missed! And remember, only you can bring what you bring to All Saints', even if you're not sure just what that is.
Another part of our church life in which we fall short is our support of special events. This has been a problem here for many years now. There have been some notable exceptions, but our track record has been quite lackluster. Of course, I understand that for a good number of us, nighttime programs are difficult if not impossible, regrettably. But this does not account for the problem. After all, the average age at All Saints' is 37! The wonderful success we had with the EYC's Shrove Tuesday event shows what a difference it makes when we show up to participate in our common life as the people of All Saints'. Hopefully, this bodes well for future activities. Special events such as Shrove Tuesday, our parish picnic, the Pentecost crawfish boil, musical programs, teaching forums, guest speakers, etc., etc, bring a richness to your Christian life—and often just plain fun! We may call them "special" events, but sharing these things together is an essential part of building and strengthening our community. Your own sense of really belonging here—really being a part of things, having ownership, being embraced, and embracing others—much depends on how connected you are "after" Sunday mornings. We simply must prioritize our congregation's activities for the church to hold a meaningful place in our lives.
I'm sure that all of us would say that our relationship to God and our faith in Jesus Christ is, or should be, at the center of our lives. Daily busyness and personal playthings pale next to the Gospel's place in life and matters of eternity. How the Church actually stands in your decision-making is nothing less than a reflection of just how much God in Christ really is at the center of your heart and life. How are you doing?
In Christ,
Shannon+
