Quick info
Services:
Sundays
8:15 and 10 am
Child care provided
Office hours:
Tuesday - Friday
9 am - noon
Location:
5705 Lacy Rd.
Fitchburg WI 53711
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Phone:
608-273-1008
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| Visitors in our midst |
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June 2009 Almost every Sunday over the past few months, we have had visitors join us at our worship services. Many of them are searching for a church they can call home and we are one of many places they are stopping on their journey. It’s been interesting talking with them about what they are seeking in a faith community. One conversation led to me asking the visitor if she would be willing to write a bit about what she looks for in a church. Extended excerpts of her reflections are below. Not everyone who visits us is this systematic, but I found what this woman said to be helpful in thinking about how others view us. (And in her case, she will be making a decision this fall on where she will worship regularly.) “I usually arrive 10 minutes early in order to find a seat and let first impressions feed my intuition. Gazing around the sanctuary usually gives me a feel for what a congregation prioritizes. Are there home made banners? Does the senior pastor have a throne where she or he sits? Are there pews or chairs? Chairs lend themselves more readily to configuring different worship arrangements. “More importantly I watch to see how people interact with each other and with me, the visitor. The sound of laughter and the observance of human touch between parishioners is always a good sign. I'm particularly impressed when someone sees me before service and makes the effort to engage me in conversation. It feels more genuine to me that being greeted formally at the door or during a routinized spot in the service. “I also notice is whether or not the congregation is diverse. I mean this in a broad sense such as diversity by age, skin color and sexual orientation. From my perspective, mixing it up keeps everyone on their toes and enriches worship. Following that thought, I also look to see whether or not the pastor utilizes and includes the laity in the worship service. If the church is built around one person's personality, then worship degenerates into a monologue and the congregation gets lazy, realizing that they don't have to be or do much. I tend to be keyed into worship styles, preferring a blend of contemporary songs and traditional hymns… “Finally, and this is a private little fantasy of mine, I've often secretly desired to be invited to lunch after the service. This is, perhaps, more pronounced for me because I am single and living in a new town. I have discovered that Sunday afternoons can be a lonely time for people. “I'm sure that I have been guilty along the way of not being the kind of parishioner that I expect others to be. The nice thing about it though is that every Sunday is always an opportunity to make a fresh start.” |