Monday, June 28, 2010

A Sunday morning in June

The birds start early and the frogs are still croaking from the previous night when the sun rises in the northeast on a bright Sunday morning in June. Trucks and vans and a few motorcycles begin to arrive and park on the churches side lawn which is the parking space. Kids pour out of the SUVs and vans and the elderly pull up to the front door concrete pad to deliver their car loads of widows who have shared a ride from the city. The air is still except for the buzzing and humming of a few insects and occasional small bird. With the hundred plus people who gather in this old church building there is a welcoming buzz as people catch up from the past week, sharing their stories with one another. This is Sunday morning in June, in The Field.

There is an expectation in the air and God is already present. People are already responding to Him even though they may not recognize it. The worship is quite contemporary with a band and we continue to sing the old hymns as well as the new worship songs. We read scriptures together and share our stories and pray for one another and our local community and the world. Sometimes as people request, we gather around another and anoint them and pray for them for healing and we've seen some powerful miracles happen as a result. We have a preaching/teaching time and during the winter months we have something for the little children that is helpful for them in their simple beginning relationships with God. We work at being multi generational so that all ages can feel like they fit and they can experience God too.

Because people travel from a distance to gather together and worship, we like to create time to chat and talk a bit more in depth before everyone heads home. So after worship everyone is welcomed downstairs for something to eat and drink and we all take turns bringing and preparing snacks for the whole church. It's a great after worship time to care for each other, and the kids often head outside to play on the lawn and chase each other through the trees.

Then mid afternoon, people begin to leave for their homes and prepare for their coming week. Silence descends on the field and nothing remains except for the song birds and the buzzing of the insects once again.

2 comments:

  1. I like Ebenezer's summer barbeques every second Sunday. However, occasionally there is the feeling of hurried eating, with less conversation than I'd enjoy, before heading to the afternoon's activities. This is not always the case, but those are the times I wish I could step on my shyness and learn a few new names at the very least.

    I appreciate Ebenezer very much, but remain curious of the experience of belonging to a smaller church.

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  2. Sounds like you are feeling at home there - good to know.

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