November 15, 2019

I was involved in a conversation about church attendance earlier this week and one of the central positions was, while acknowledging the current declining worship attendance figures, church attendance now, is still remarkably higher than in our nation’s colonial days. 

For a long time, despite popular thought that the US was founded on religious liberty and was a particularly religious nation in its colonial and fledgling years, those who looked seriously at the numbers, people, ideologies, and trends would have said this is likely not the case.  I remember learning about Deists, like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and even George Washington, who like many of their Continental (European) counterparts would have denied the divinity of Christ, understood Jesus only as a teacher of morality, and God the Father as something of a clock maker who created the world and then set it aside to run by itself.   I recall talking to a park ranger from Valley Forge, whose passion was studying George Washington, who told me, as a general, he regularly sought support from churches around the colonies but seldom attended worship or engaged in religious practices. 

So, I was going to comment on this in my Happenings thoughts today, but as I sought to document and back up these conclusions, I found the pendulum is swinging.  I discovered, while Jefferson, Adams and others, were indeed Deists who valued facts and reason, and that Deists were often found among the wealthy and elite, they were not significant players in the religious life of the colonies and early United States.  I also discovered low church attendance figures are being challenged and that a review of the data may indicate 18th century trends which indicate growing numbers of churches and attendance.  So, I am unwilling to say too much about this topic.

However, I will ask another question.  Is the number of churches, church attendance, and even offering amounts a good and true judge of faith?  Every denomination faithfully collects annual data about worship attendance and money collected, but are these numbers a good indication of how faithful we are?  If we understand the kingdom, the time and place where God’s realm is complete, how can we measure how much of our hearts and souls (individually and corporately) belong to God? 

You know it has been said that people often come to church just to be seen or heard, so again I ask is the fact that a person is in a church building on a Sunday (or Saturday) morning an indicator of an active and sincere faith journey?  Attendance and offering are easy numbers to collect, but is that how we are judged by God?

Scripture

            Malachi 4:1-2a

            2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

            Luke 21:5-19

Peace, Pastor Dale

THIS SUNDAY’S LEADERSHIP TEAM:

Presiding:  The Rev. Dale Krotee

Music Director and Organist: J. Curtis White

Immanuel Church Chancel Choir

Pianist:   Lynne Breil, Tina Lyte        

Acolyte:  Phoebe Elzey

Ushers:  Danny Luthy, Kate Deckenback, Janice Haller, Max Schnoor

Nursery Staff:  Stephanie Carmine

Nursery Assistant: Diana Krotee

Sound System:  Jack Breil, Keith Malkus, Tom Wilkison

This Week at Immanuel:  (Office hours  M-F, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)

   Sunday       9:00am                   Sunday School

                      9:15-11:30am         Nursery Care

                     10:00am                  Worship 

                     11:00am                  Fellowship in the Narthex              

    Tuesday    10:00am                 Dorchester Faith Alliance

                      12-1 pm                  Bible Study     

    Thursday    6:30pm                  Choir Practice

    Saturday    8:00am                   Holiday Bazaar 

HOLIDAY BAZAAR Bakers – bring your goodies in by Friday, Nov. 22  as our sale starts at 8am.

COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING SERVICE: Tuesday, Nov. 26th at 6:00pm at Waugh Chapel United Methodist Church, 425 High Street, Cambridge, MD.

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING:  Sunday, December 15th following worship.  Agenda:  Election of President of the Congregation 2020; budget 2020.

CHURCH COUNCIL:  If you would like to serve on the Church Council filling the 3 vacancies that we will have for 2020, please see any of our

current council members.

ANGEL TREE:   We have received the names from the Salvation Army. If you would like to select one early, see Robin Burton.  Hopefully, the

tree will be up by next Sunday but definitely by Dec. 1st.

Janice Haller, Church Secretary