June 27, 2019

Scenes from a Sunday – June 16, 2019

What follows is in no sense a complete description or listing of everything worthwhile that happened at Lakeshore on Father’s Day Sunday. It is simply a somewhat off the top of my head sharing of some of the mental images of the day that are still with me as I sit at my computer on the morning after, Monday, June 17.

By 9:00 the church was a busy place. There were at least three meetings going on and people were in the kitchen preparing for Coffee Hour. I find it hard to participate in meetings before worship, but I recognize that having them early is a good way of limiting the number of trips people have to make to church as well as a way of reducing the miles driven, something that represents savings at the gas pump and less carbon sent back into the atmosphere. I respect the commitment to the well-being of our community that pre-worship meetings on Sunday represent.

An important part of worship on Sunday was the dedication of Adeline Angotti, the daughter of Allison and Chris Angotti. Both sets of grandparents, an aunt and big brother Jonah joined in the dedication. Baby dedications, like weddings, have their own unique “flavor.” What I noticed during Adeline’s dedication was the loving non-verbal communication that was going on as Adeline switched from being delighted at being held by her parents at the front of the church to being decidedly unhappy about the situation. Without a word, and without interrupting the proceedings, a pacifier was retrieved from her diaper bag and calm returned. So much of human interaction occurs at the non-verbal level. One mark of a healthy family, or a healthy community, is our ability to “read” one another.

I really liked the Litany of Appreciation for the The Voices of Lakeshore, The Handbell Ensemble, Carolyn, Mikki and Stan. One thing that has become clear to me this year is the understanding on the part of the congregation that “if there is no singing, there is no church.” Thus, it was fitting that the song “O For a Thousand Tongues To Sing” was woven into the litany. As I led the litany, I had the sense that together we were sensing the Spirit among us.

During the Postlude, as I sat, as I often do, in the back row of pews, I observed the newly dedicated Adeline’s family stop in the side aisle to chat with the recently dedicated Isaac’s (Schreiber) family. Observing that short “families pushing strollers” convention made me very happy. When I saw Hallie (Isaac’s mom) a little later, I told her how happy it made me. Her response made me even happier. “We are so happy we are part of Lakeshore. One of the reasons is that there are so many different male role models for Isaac to choose from. They are certainly not all the same but they are all good.”

After greeting people as they left the church, I went back into the Sanctuary. There were still a few groups of worshippers remaining. One of the groups at the rear of the Sanctuary, was one of our doctors and one of our hospital chaplains attending to the concerns of one of our members who does not have medical insurance. Good Samaritan like care was being given. Wow.

I give thanks for Sundays at Lakeshore.

Peace,

Jim H.