Church Board Prayers - Week 11

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. Psalm 96:1-4

For more than a decade we have offered two styles of worship for our congregation to participate in. This has been a change that has worked well for us. Other churches could tell a different story.

Recently, Claudia and I shared our 'date night' with our youngest granddaughter, Macy. Driving to the restaurant, Macy asked if I would turn on the radio. The amplifier for the sound system was not working, so I told her I would, but we would have to make our own music. She agreed to 'make silly' and we had some fun with that. This was Good Friday and so I picked 'He Lives' for us to sing. After signing a verse and the chorus, Macy said she didn't know that song and one of the other songs we sang. She went on to say she only knew songs from the 'The Shine', since this was what they listened to most of the time.

Macy will be 9 years old and has attended our church regularly since she was born. I found it hard to believe she wouldn't be familiar with these hymns.

I eventually put two and two together and accepted the fact that her music wasn't going to be the hymns that moved my spirit and spoke to my heart as well as generations before me.

I can see how some can argue this is not a good thing and we shouldn't let this happen. I would have to disagree. Macy led us in a couple of her songs with an excitement in her voice and on key, if you don't mind me bragging. Will there only be one style of music in heaven?

Are we a church divided? Traditional or Contemporary, Choir or Praise Team. I know one thing that will never change “If the ushers would come forward we will collect the tithe and offering".

There are going to be changes moving forward. Whether big or little, I truly believe we are a church united, one in the bond of love. Yes, we worship in different styles but that does not separate us from the love of God or each other. We come together well.

I know we are in good hands, not Ken and Teresa's or the church board, but the ones with the nail scars on them. Let’s keep our eyes focused on them.

Dan Olson