Pastor's Message
September 2013
To the people of God:
Why are we here?
We are here to live together as God’s faithful people, to share in the word of God and the holy supper, to learn the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments, to read the holy scriptures, to grow in faith and prayer, to trust in God, to proclaim Christ through word and deed, to care for one another and the world God made and to work for justice and peace. Therefore, we are joined to the body of Christ and into the mission we share: joined together in giving thanks and praise to God and bearing God’s creative and redeeming word to all the world.
How did you like having one service throughout the summer? Did you know that so far it looks like we average 20 people less than when we had two services during the summer last year? When Emmanuel had two services last summer it averaged about 108 people per Sunday. This summer our average worship is around 88.
Should we go to one service? I really enjoy one service from a personal perspective. I get up early on Sunday – very early. When there is only one service I get to sleep about an hour longer than I do for the rest of the year. I get to go home earlier. If I go home and take a nap I still can go somewhere with my wife or do something around the house.
If we average around 120 a Sunday for the year there is a chance we would drop to only about 100 people a Sunday with only one service. That would mean we might have a few Sundays where only about 50 people would attend worship. Hmm...That’s a little above the average Emmanuel has worship at the 8:15 service. Should we go to one service?
Emmanuel is trying an experiment with Sunday school this year. This may change the averages for each worship service. This is a variable we do not know right now and won’t fully know for a least another year. Is this really the time to go to one service?
If our attendance averages stay around 120 we will be the fourth largest worshiping community in the Washtenaw Cluster. That will all change when we start averaging 100 people per Sunday. Do you really want to go to one service?
Personally, I would like to think of some creative way to add another service to Emmanuel’s schedule. The decision to go to one service is not mine to make. It is this community of faith’s decision. Do you REALLY believe it serves the greater good to go to one service?
One of Christ’s servants,
Pastor David A. Hendricks - Child of God