This morning, on my way to mass, a Lutheran church service was playing on my car radio. The pastor was telling the story of a man who had moved to a new city and was unsure which church to attend.
In all, he attended 18 churches, sat in the front row and attended the coffee fellowships after the services. The result was the same in all. Not one person came and talked to him or made him feel welcome.
This reminded me of an incident that occurred several years ago in church. As usual I slid into my seat, knelt to say my prayers then sat back to read the weekly bulletin. There was a brisk tap on my shoulder.
"Young lady, do you know who I am?" inquired the elderly grey-haired lady behind me. Startled, I turned around, probably looking very confused.
"Every Sunday I sit here. You come in, sit down but you don't see anyone. You don't smile nor do you acknowledge I am here," she said.
I was stunned. The truth was I had not paid any attention to who was sitting behind me. How long had she been there? What was her name?
Each of us travels our own journey through life. Our paths converge in one place, our church. We form a community unlike any other as we share our faith journey. We join in the common purpose of worshipping, seeking forgiveness and petitioning for God's blessing. We pray together; young, old, rich, poor, healthy, infirm, employed, unemployed, the broken and the healed. Our presence binds us together providing strength, comfort, support and courage.
Do you know who is accompanying you during this phase of your journey? Each Sunday I sit in the same place as do those around me. We are comfortable together. Often, when returning from communion I am surprised by the long lines of fellow parishioners awaiting their turn. I am not even aware they are sitting behind me. This is what the elderly lady was telling me. "I am here. You are here. The least we can do is acknowledge each other."
One of the complaints I hear in our parish is that our church doesn't have a sense of community. When mass is over, each goes their own separate way until the next week. Although we pray together, we do not work toward a common purpose.
Participation provides ownership. Ownership allows us to feel a part of something bigger than ourselves. Each of us needs to contribute then feel our contribution is important. When the subject of money comes up, we wiggle and squirm in our seats. We don't want to hear there is a need. When volunteers are required for lay ministries or to assist with the children's ministries, no one steps forward. Our thinking is "I am too busy. I don't know enough, others are more qualified than I. I don't have time those particular days." What we fail to realize is that our small contribution adds value to the whole.
The simplest way is making the choice to take an active role in the church community. I mean participating, welcoming, sharing and acknowledging. Smile. Be a friendly face to newcomers. Introduce yourself first.
As in all things, we go where we are wanted and stay because we feel welcome. We each have been given a gift or talent we can use to benefit our church. If you are not comfortable in the forefront consider volunteering in the background. Maybe you could cook for the fall supper or sell a book of raffle tickets for a fundraiser. Maybe you could sing in the choir, help clean the church or type the weekly bulletin.
This common meeting place in our faith journey provides us a place to worship, a sense of belonging and togetherness because we invest part of our selves. Some of us can't do a lot, but everyone can do a little. Summed up, it is the knowing, loving and serving each other as we travel our journey together.
By the way, her name's Johanna. Several weeks later we both laughed when once again she leaned over my shoulder and said "Isn't this better?"
"Yes, Johanna, it is. Thank you for opening my eyes."
Judith Coates is a parishioner of Holy Family Catholic Church in Grimshaw. Reprinted from the Edmonton Journal, Oct. 24, 2009, with permission of the author.
Congregational News Nov. 2009 Vol. 16 No. 2