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Karol and I attended a new, to us, church this morning. It is probably less than a mile from our house. First Impressions.
It's very small. I did a quick check and it looks like it would seat about 130 people. Last week's attendance was 71. The acoustics were adequate. Very comfortable seats.
The demographics were troubling. I would guess that over half the people were over 50 and at least one third were probably over 60. One individual told us he turned 90 last December. I would not have guessed he was over 70.
We received a very warm friendly reception - as one would hope to get from all churches. The pastor, which I understand is new to this church, spoke about how to grow the church. He seemed reasonable. I could tell by his use of notes, he had pretty much written out his sermon. That shows good preparation. I did not find his use of notes distracting.
If I were to change the pastor, I would have him lose the mustache, and put him in a robe instead of a business suit. I just like to see the pastor in a robe, when he conducts the service.
The service was a little more liturgical than at our previous church – and I rather like that. At our previous church, they sing for 20 minutes. There is a very long prayer, then any special events, and then the very long sermon. It is pretty predictable.
At this service there were three or four hymns spread throughout the service. During his sermon the pastor talked about some of the things the church needs to do to grow. One was to put more joy in the worship service.
One of the hymns was “Onward Christian Soldiers.” If I were the pastor, I would have had everyone march around the room, while they sang the song. To change people’s emotions, you need to change their body position or movement.
All in all, it was a nice service. I think Karol has another church lined up next week.
Posted by Ted at August 10, 2003 7:40 PM