Last week we covered the crucial topic of church
seating. The complexities of that
subject necessitated a whole post in itself; however, it really only gets us
started. There is so much more that must
be taken into account for a successful trip to church. This week's tip will see you through the rest
of the service. So without further
delay, let's tackle the big subjects.
Dress for success. During
the cool months, it is best to put a little effort into dressing up for
church. The occasional long sleeved
dress shirt and tie, though feeling excessive in summertime temps that constitute
our "cool season", will garner you countless compliments. Remember, your fellow church goers dress to
impress, and not so much to pull attention onto themselves, but rather because
they see dressing up as a way of honoring the event or others. So while it is tolerable, dress up for them.
Once hot season rolls around, however, all bets are
off. Unfortunately, shorts and a t-shirt
are not acceptable church attire here.
(And trust me, if I thought there was a way to make it happen, I'd be
the first to offer it as a tip.) The
general rule of thumb during hot season is comfortable, breathable, and at very
least giving the appearance of having dressed nicer than every other day of the
week. (which becomes remarkably easier when you've worn scrubs all week) Remember, the question isn't "Will I
sweat in these clothes?" but rather, "How relatively comfortable will
I be sweating in these clothes?" A
handkerchief and a hand-fan are indispensible.
Also, in case you were wondering, yes, sandals are perfectly acceptable
footwear for any dress-up clothes, with the possible exception of a suit.
Singing. It is
important to remember that our culture treats song pretty uniquely. For us, there are two participants in
music--the performer who actively produces the song and the listener who
passively consumes the music. So, we
have become, naturally, rather selective about who produces our music. Only the "musically inclined" are
asked to perform music, and even then, these talents are honed by relentless
practice. Other cultures view music as a
lived experience in which everyone participates in order to celebrate emotions
or tell stories. In such contexts there
is less emphasis on perfect performance and broader acceptance of audience
participation.
That said, in church services you'll likely find yourself,
from time to time, missing the perfect performance by the most musically
talented in the room. You might also find
yourself wondering why the guitarist didn't bother finding out the song list so
he could practice and actually know how the song starts, instead of just trying
to painstakingly match the notes of the singer (don't worry, he usually gets it
somewhere before the end of the song). The best way to survive this is to join in as
a participant.
Make sure to bring your song book. As these songs are not in your native tongue,
it is hard to sing with confidence, even songs you know well, if the words
aren't in front of you. This becomes especially
important if the guy/gal next to you is singing very off-key and/or seems to be
singing through his nose. You'll want to
have that extra boost of confidence which will allow you to sing loudly enough
to drown them out.
Now there is real musical talent in churches, and they do
lead out in choir solos, just perhaps not as often as you'd like. Learn to appreciate them. For everyone else's solos, learn to
participate. This primarily involves
clapping, if you are capable of keeping up.
Because if one thing never goes wrong in singing here, it is
rhythm. They've got that in ways you'll probably
never understand.
Sermon. The sermon might be the most challenging
element of the service, especially if your language skills are still developing. Now, after all the work I did last week to
help you understand the mechanics of seating, I hate to go and complicate your
seat choice even further, but I must. If
you intend to hear and listen to the sermon, you'll need to bear building acoustics
in mind. The slightest echo or
distortion will make it that much harder to understand, so the closer to the
pastor the better.
Once the message starts, you must focus all your energies on
staying with the pastor. If you get
lost, it is very hard to join back in.
Of course, you are going to miss a word, sentence, or paragraph here or
there. This happens especially when the
pastor tells a story or a joke.
Sometimes you've managed to understand every word he has said in the
story or joke, but still do not see the humor in it or how it relates back to
the bigger whole. When this happens
don't spend precious time puzzling it out; this will only leave you even more
lost.
Of course, even with the best of intentions and the most fervent
effort, you'll occasionally find yourself hopelessly lost. Should this happen, the best thing to do is
simple to try to find the Bible passages cited and imagine what the sermon is
about. It's kind of like doing one of
those connect the dot puzzles. Even if
you don't catch the passages as the pastor says them, you can watch people next
to you turn to the places in their Bibles.
With the advent of smartphones, this has become admittedly more
challenging, but with a little practice, you'll become very adept at looking
over the shoulder of the guy in front of you to read his smartphone
screen. This does occasionally reveal
someone playing Champion's League soccer instead of following along, however.
The last and most important tip of church-going: Remember
why you came. And no, it isn't because
you thought it would be tacky as the missionary not to show up, even if that is
what got you out the door this morning. You've
come to worship and to fellowship with your brothers and sisters in
Christ. I occasionally like to remind
God that this constitutes costly worship for me. Get those brownie points where
you can. Of course, He occasionally, on
His snarky days, reminds me that I know nothing about this word,
"costly".
Prayer Requests
1. Continue to pray
for the new believers in Tarasso. A
group of us are headed there this evening to meet with them and encourage them.
2. Pray for an
upcoming trip this weekend to the village of Zantiguila. If it is the Lord's leading, we hope to
partner with this church in reaching the surrounding area (which is very
unreached). Much has been happening in this
village, including rapid church growth.
Recently a violent storm torn down the walls of the newly constructed
church building. We hope to be an
encouragement to the pastor and the congregation there.
3. We've not had much
rain to speak of since last week. This
late in June, the absence of rain is worrying.
Please pray against drought.
4. Pray for strengthening/refreshment
of our team. Several of our teammates are back in the
States, which means there are few of us here to handle all the various details
of life here and to keep all our various ministries going.
5. Please continue
praying for the Masterplanning training event coming up for our national
administration.
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