It is eye-opening to return to ordained ministry after stints in sales and corporate training at a technology company full of young businesspeople. Talk about a study in contrasts! I went to a Major Meeting for the church women of our area today. These Major Meetings have gotten much better over the years. There's much more laughter as well as even greater passion for serving poor women, youth, and children.
When the program speaker got up to give her excellent program on Native Americans, she handed out a bookmark with three seeds for the major crops in a Native tribe. We also took a quiz to test our knowledge of Native Americans. I learned bunches. The only part of the program that raised my eyebrows was when the leader talked about her faith being based on the Apostles' Creed. She started to recite it. "I believe in God the Father Almighty...". She noted that others were joining in and had it memorized "just like I do."
If someone were between the ages of 30 and 40, she might or might not be able to recite that creed from memory. If she were 29 or less, forget it. Many people in that generation did not grow up knowing the Lord's Prayer let alone the Apostles' Creed. A new and younger woman, seeing and hearing everyone say the Creed, might have concluded that she did not belong at that meeting. I had it memorized, however. I can recite it easily. That says something about my age I guess. Older than Egypt.
The wider church of which I am a part "thinks old" and needs to start "thinking young." This is not to say that most church members act old. Quite the contrary! But the collective message is "This is an old people's church." I would like to help change that. Maybe some of the higher-ups will let me have a crack at it.
Esther Essofigus is a very young-at-heart person, I've found. I sat next to her at the Major Meeting. We were at one point filling out cards describing ourselves. We indicated our gender, race, ethnicity, and other labels. Esther whispered to me, "I'm not sure what to put for 'class'." I told her a good answer would be Plenty Of It. Esther chuckled. She is used to me by now.
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I'm hoping that's the same answer you gave for "class", ma'am.
You're exactly right, the subtle and not so subtle hints that are given every Sunday in the "we" that is talked about are spread about, whether they are intentional or not.
Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I have to gulp and turn my inclination to jump up and say "no" to what I experience.
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