a thought

Hmm.  I was just thinking.  I originally wanted to have Communion during the worship time, but we want to keep this informal.  I just finished The Shack, and there is a beautiful scene where the four of them are eating the bread and drinking the wine without any ceremony or ritual.  Just each other.  Maybe we could do that…have a loaf of bread (French, Hawaiian, Challah, whatever) on each table along with a pitcher of grape juice and glasses.  There could be other foodstuffs–like fruit, cheese, nuts, yogurt–on a side table that people could grab at will.  No ritual, no ceremony, just community.

 

Paperwork n’ whatnot

Thanks, Jordan.  Here’s the link if anybody else is having trouble finding the Facebook page for Lunch With God:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=180332828451

I hope it helps.

I also just sent off the plan outline and proposed order of worship to Pastor Keith.  Here’s what I have, let me know if you have any input…

Publicity

*Postcards

^Starbucks

^Wahoos

^Tranquil Tea Room

*Newspaper advertising (repeating)

^Fullerton Observer

^CSUF

^Fullerton College

*Facebook Group

^needs

Pictures

Event information

***people from congregation***

Music

Talk w/ friend w/ access to music charts

Talk w/ friend who plays guitar

Decorating

* Small rounds w/ short length table cloth

*3 tealight candles per table

*band set up by window

*food table set up by door

^coffee, tea, lemonade

^sandwiches

^fruit

^real plates and mugs

^plastic bin to collect dirty plates and mugs

^colorful basket for donations

Sign indicating for food, extra $ will go towards programming and missions (w/ list of missions)

Order of Worship

3 praise songs

Opening prayer

Welcome

Introductory table discussion question

1 praise song (?)

Bible reading

Message/Open discussion

Communion/Love feast  (background music?)

Joys and concerns

1 prayer song

Closing prayer

1 closing praise song

 

A Path to Follow

Well, I met with Pastor Keith again this evening.  This time in his office.  We talked about a plan, what we wanted this whatchamacallit to look like.  I was relieved that he actually wasn’t talking about a Bible study, more of an informal worship time.  He gave me a break down of what I need to do before we launch.  Publicity, music, decorating, signs saying “over this way, no up over here!  and around the corner and down the hall to the flashing lights!”  Well, not exactly.  But I do wonder about the design of the building sometimes.  We went up to the room and it has the potential to be really cozy and inviting.  However we need to make how-to-get-to-said-room more friendly.

I work in health care.  I know next to nothing about advertising.  I do have one advantage, though–my sister is a Marketing Coordinator.  Her advice was repetition repetition repetition, post in local businesses, and create a Facebook group.  So there is now a brand new Facebook group called “Lunch With God”.  That’s also our current working name for this worship group.  What do you think?

So I now have my homework for next week, create a one page plan with clear, delineated goals.  Sounds nice and boring, but I’m actually excited.  I know what to do now.  I’m not just wishing and hoping and praying, but actually DOing.  Feels good.

-Julia

 

Prayers

Prayers for Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga and Indonesia.

 

starting with a single step

After I got home from work today, I changed clothes, stuffed my laptop into my backpack (along with some notebook paper just in case), ate some cottage cheese, grabbed my bike and took off down Chapman. (Wow, it’s been awhile since I rode this bike…I need to put air in the tires.)  The sky was covered in cotton-ball clouds and there was something of a sea breeze, which we generally don’t get up here in Fullerton.  I pedaled towards downtown.

A few minutes later I arrived at the Tranquil Tea Room.  Pastor Keith was already there, peacefully reading something.  He rose to greet me, and we talked for awhile.  He told me it is wonderful that I have a vision for a service to serve the “young people” but also warned me that it will be an up hill battle–people will be afraid of the risk, I will likely step on somebody’s toes, somebody won’t want something contemporary, somebody won’t want something progressive–aside from the fact that this is a lot of work!  I’ve never done this before.  I know this won’t be easy.  The good news is Pastor Keith and a few other prominent members of the congregation support the idea.  He told me how I could initiate the service, but recommended that I first start with a Bible study.  Maybe make the start date around December/January.  This would be a good way to test the waters, see if people would be interested, find the need, and grow from there.  I need to come up with a name, find a guitarist, create a flyer and create a blog.  (Let me tell ya’, if you had told me 3 hours ago that I would be starting a blog right now I would have laughed.)  (Anybody know how to play the guitar?)

So here I am, blogging for the first time, hopeful I can work with others to create something good for us and for God, and wide-eyed at the possibilities.

-Julia

Fullerton First United Methodist Church

California

 

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