Eugene Peterson on "Working the Angles"

"The visible lines of pastoral work are preaching, teaching, and administration. The small angles of ministry are prayer, scripture, and spiritual direction."

Eugene Peterson "Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity" (p.5)

Axl, Slash, & Knowing that Stuff Ain't Neutral

I don't remember where, exactly, but once upon a time in Greenville, SC there was an overpass upon which someone took the time to spray-paint "Guns N' Roses." A friend of mine made plans to tag "God N' Moses" beside it. At the time, I thought that was the funniest thing I'd ever heard. I could envision Tees, Mugs, and Posters emblazoned with the "God N' Moses" logo.

I love to play guitar, and I love to play Slash's licks. He's one of my favorites. I've amassed my own piecemeal collection of G N' R tunes since most of their albums have tracks I find disagreeable. "Don't Cry" was how I learned Am; their version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was when I realized that G-C-D was the foundation of ninety percent of Rock. Trying my hand at the opening of "Sweet Child O' Mine" plagues me to this day, even though it is/was a simple warmup exercise for Slash.

To me, my own collection of Guns N' Roses is benign-- it's fun guitar, questionable vocal technique, and the overlooked stability of Izzy Straddlin. I discovered them while attending Christian school, and secretly traded mix tapes since I wasn't allowed to buy their albums. That was about as rebellious as it got for me!

But as I was talking with someone the other day, I was reminded that nothing in this world is neutral. For him, Guns N' Roses reminds him of a past he'd rather forget-- smoky bars, hungover Sundays, and in his own words, a "shameful" relationship with someone he hurt deeply.

Paul addresses this concept in Romans 14:13-18. Without meaning to, we can put stumbling blocks in the paths of our fellow believers-- or those who are on their way to believing.

Within the context of Sunday morning worship, little of what we do will be neutral.

• When I use Powerpoint, I'm locked in to preaching in a certain order.
• When I have a soul patch, very few find it soulful.
• When I refer to a movie for a sermon illustration, folks who hated the film will react differently from those who loved it (or never saw it).
• When our choir uses a track from a song on the radio, our ears begin comparing one arrangement to the other.
• When we sing Bill Gaither, Fanny Crosby, Chris Tomlin, or Matt Redman-- they all mean different things.

What can we do? Nothing! Pardon my English, but stuff ain't neutral. I'm simply saying that we need to acknowledge this and work with it. The next time someone complains about something in your church, find out the deeper meaning. I've found that often, it's not the "thing" it's the association of the "thing." Like the time I used the opening riff of Steve Miller's "The Joker" to lead into "Lord I Lift Your Name on High."

But that's another story.

Trunk Or Treat: A Review

Effingham Presbyterian hosted a Trunk or Treat this year. It was my first time participating in one, and I think it was a first for most of our folks.

I was nervous the week before that it wouldn't be a success. I realized I was nervous because I thought I was in control. Once I gave it to God, I knew that He would decide whether it would succeed or not. We had over 100 folks, which is good for a church of 126. The crowd was evenly split between kids/adults; church folks/guests. Thank you, Lord!

Here's a summary of my thoughts:

What worked:

• Our elders planned the whole thing. Each took on a specific responsibility and made sure it happened. In doing it this way, no one person bore too much burden.
  

• Our members propelled the whole thing...actually, some non-members did too, which was pretty cool. A trunk or treat doesn't work without trunks or treats. We had 13 cars, and about 30 volunteers who took care of their own trunks and candy. We didn't need any hierarchy to make it happen-- folks took their own initiative.
  
  
• Having it outdoors in front of the church helped. It was chilly, but every time a car drove by, we knew that they could see our church "in action" rather than just wondering what happens behind our doors and stained glass windows.
  
  
• Holding it a full week before 10/31. We didn't compete with the umpteen festivals that are going on "in town" next weekend.
  

What didn't

• Every time we have an event, no one knows how to find restrooms or our Family Life Center. We need to get some signs up!
  
  
• I should have ordered some coloring booklets, stickers, or anything that would have had a clear gospel message. It would have been natural to hand this out with the candy. I can't believe I overlooked this.
  
  
• I chose our 4pm-7pm schedule based on something I read. This is too long for everybody. We had 6 people come in the 3rd hour, compared with 50+ in the first hour. 2 hours will cover it next year.

Not Sure

• We did advertising in a low cost, grass-roots way typical of many churches our size: Banner out front, flyers handed to neighbors, and postings on local community news pages. In addition, I sent an invite to all of EPC's Facebook followers. We had a good turn-out, but we did not ask, "How did you hear about us?" So, I don't know if any one form of advertising is better than another. We had guests from Lake City, Timmonsville, Florence, Effingham, etc. Something worked.
  
  
• No one complained about this being a "Halloween" event. We didn't call it a "Harvest Party" or anything like that, but I guess I still want to be sure we never give up our identity as servants of Christ. It's easy to go too far on Holidays.
  
  
• We held it on a Sunday afternoon, and that helped with it not competing with people's Saturday schedules. I don't think there is any Sabbath violation in this, but it is something I'm continuing to ponder. If it had been a Christmas thing, would I wonder at all?

All in all, it was a worthwhile use of everyone's time and energy. It cost be $25 in tire repair, but that's another story. Everyone who came will receive a follow-up invitation to join us again on Sunday.