Christmas

We're trying to plan our Christmas Eve service right now. Two things are bad about this. The first is that we're at least 6 weeks late on planning it and the second is that we're battling against doing what we've always done. I'm trying to change it up this year and push us to do something that is more similar to what we would typically do on a regular Sunday.
I think when we take high-attendance gatherings like Christmas (and Easter) and produce something that is formal and expected we perpetuate the idea that going to church is something you should do on Christmas and Easter. And in doing this we fail to reach any of the guests that are willing to come out on only those two days.
So I'm trying to come up with what that might look like in our church's context. I'm pushing for something with kind of a raw feel featuring an acoustic guitar and one vocalist. Then weaving a concept throughout that in a laid-back conversational manner with video backing and illustrating that. We'll see what happens. We'll probably end up somewhere in between the two. JM

Atheists In Church

Here's an interesting article out of Seattle. They sent 31 atheists to local churches to see what it was like. While most of them were closed off way before they walked in the door, it's interesting to see how intimidated they were by the simple act of going to church and how much they desired to go unnoticed.

I slept badly the night before church: I was scared because I had never been before, and everything I know about Sunday services comes from David Lodge novels and Garth Ennis's Preacher series. "Are they gonna make me confess my sins?" I asked my boyfriend. He promised me they would not. "Can I eat beforehand? Can I get up to pee?" I was sure I would stick out.

We do it everyday, but if you haven't done it in a long time, or have never done it, you don't know what to expect or how to act or even what to wear. If the church is ever going to truly reach out, we have to discover new ways to make them feel comfortable, or at least as uncomfortable as possible.
It's also interesting to note what the visitor thought of the "health and wealth" church

If you're thinking of attending a church, I beg you not to attend the CFC—find one that understands humility and grace and charity. I'm an atheist, but the CFC brings Bible imagery to my mind. Standing in all the gaudy sound and tacky fury, all I can think of is the perverted temple that Jesus Christ ripped to pieces with his bare (expletive) hands.

JM