Most people don't think much about the importance of asking questions of their pastor. Sometimes I get e-mails from college students who have an assignment to complete, and I do my best to respond to their questions, often using the internet to access information from places they may not be familiar with.
Occasionally I'll get a question about something I said in a sermon. Those are always tricky because people often remember exactly what I said and I don't.
Some questions are about the Bible or theology, and once in a while someone poses an issue they are dealing with and want a confidential reply.
Being asked questions makes me feel important, especially if I can give decent answers. It's one way I can reach out to people who take their faith seriously.
A few years ago I met an Anglican priest whose church was featured in three one hour programs on BBC television. In one broadcast he mentioned quite innocently that he had a link on their church website for people to use in asking religious questions.
In the next few days e-mails came to him from all around the world, wherever people could view the BBC specials. At first he replied carefully to each one. Eventually he started to write out more "standard" responses that he could send back to FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). Eventually he had to hire a retired priest on a part-time basis to keep up with the workload.
I recently heard that my priest friend has left the priesthood altogether.
When I issue the invitation to send in questions to me, I have his face in the back of my mind. Obviously, I won't have his problem, at least not until BBC comes over here to do some special broadcasts about Hope, but I am willing to invite you to ask questions whenever you have them, in writing through this blog or via e-mail. If they are private questions, please let me know.
So, here we go. You need to sign up to reply to this blog, but you can e-mail me at rohill@optonline.net and I will get it.
Any questions?
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Summertime at Hope
Summer is always a strange time for us at Hope. For many people it is "vacation time," and they spend a lot of time away, especially on the weekends.
Yet for others, it is "business as usual," a time when there may be an occasional part, reunion, or significant gathering, but for the most part it is a time when people keep doing what they've been doing, except perhaps coming to church.
Typically, most churches eliminate a service during the summer or, in a case like ours, change the entire Sunday mroning schedule to accomodate the "slower" worship attendance pattern. This is particularly helpful when the pastor is taking a full month's vacation and visiting preachers are needed to fill in on Sundays.
Here at Hope, however, summer is an active time. This summer we have three or four summer day camp programs being offered, and we also have our one-week, half-day Vacation Bible School run by a host of volunteers from the congregation and the community. In addition, we have a Tuesday night service led by the electric guitar of Carl Werkheiser who is accompanied by his wife Laura's singing and special instruments.
Sundays in the summer are important because we do tend to listen better, and often we will see visitors checking out the church prior to the arrival of fall. These are good days for informal fellowship and sharing, and occasionally people will hang out together after services rather than going home for their normal routines.
I have ejoyed this summer because I decided to experiment with my preaching by developing textual, Bible-based sermons that make use of the assigned lectionary texts. Since the second lessons during the summer are serial lessons, it gives me a chance to look at them and think through their subtleties in a continuous manner. As a matter of fact, I've spent a lot more time preparing for these messages than what I normally spend in preparing for other types of preaching.
In any event, this is a good time of the year. For those who take a vacation from church, I invite you to think again about that and use the opportunity summer affords to allow yourself to encounter God's presence in a new and refreshing way.
Yet for others, it is "business as usual," a time when there may be an occasional part, reunion, or significant gathering, but for the most part it is a time when people keep doing what they've been doing, except perhaps coming to church.
Typically, most churches eliminate a service during the summer or, in a case like ours, change the entire Sunday mroning schedule to accomodate the "slower" worship attendance pattern. This is particularly helpful when the pastor is taking a full month's vacation and visiting preachers are needed to fill in on Sundays.
Here at Hope, however, summer is an active time. This summer we have three or four summer day camp programs being offered, and we also have our one-week, half-day Vacation Bible School run by a host of volunteers from the congregation and the community. In addition, we have a Tuesday night service led by the electric guitar of Carl Werkheiser who is accompanied by his wife Laura's singing and special instruments.
Sundays in the summer are important because we do tend to listen better, and often we will see visitors checking out the church prior to the arrival of fall. These are good days for informal fellowship and sharing, and occasionally people will hang out together after services rather than going home for their normal routines.
I have ejoyed this summer because I decided to experiment with my preaching by developing textual, Bible-based sermons that make use of the assigned lectionary texts. Since the second lessons during the summer are serial lessons, it gives me a chance to look at them and think through their subtleties in a continuous manner. As a matter of fact, I've spent a lot more time preparing for these messages than what I normally spend in preparing for other types of preaching.
In any event, this is a good time of the year. For those who take a vacation from church, I invite you to think again about that and use the opportunity summer affords to allow yourself to encounter God's presence in a new and refreshing way.
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