Back to School... Back to Church

“Return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord of heavenly forces.” (Malachi 3:7b)

Within the next week or so, our children and teenagers will be heading back to school to start a new school year.  This should be a reminder to the rest of us that it’s also time to start back to church if we’ve gotten out of the habit over the summertime!  And just so everyone feels welcome and “at home”, here are some special new things we’ll be providing this Fall:

--Cots will be placed in the Narthex for those who say ‘Sunday is my only day to sleep late’

--Steel helmets will be provided for those who say ‘The roof would cave in if I ever came to church!’

--Blankets will be furnished for those who say the church is too cold, and fans will be given to those who think it’s too hot.

--We’ll have hearing aids available for those who say ‘the preacher talks too soft’, cotton for those who think that he talks too loud, and a few “Slow Down” road signs for those who think he talks too fast.

--There will be TV dinners for those who say they can’t go to church and cook lunch for their family at the same time.

--We’ve renovated part of our Sanctuary to have grass and trees for those who feel closest to God in nature, and part of the grassy area will have a putting green for those who think that Sunday morning should be for golfing.

--We’ve turned some of the pews to face backwards, so that those who say ‘I’ll come to church when I get my life turned around’ will feel at home without ever having to do that.

--We’ve also built several small, private rooms connected to the Sanctuary for those who say that they worship God at home alone, by themselves.

--And finally, the Church will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who have never been to church without them!

Okay, I admit it… we’re not really doing all of these things.  But it does highlight some of the many silly excuses we use for not coming to church.  This Fall as our children and youth head back to school, why not put away your excuses and renew the habit of coming back weekly to the place where you can meet and grow with God, fellowship with people who care about you, and find a sense of purpose and meaning to life. “Seven days without worship make one weak!”  I hope that won’t apply to you! 

And as an added incentive, we CAN look forward to a number of special things that ARE happening here at McKendree church this month (read about most of these elsewhere in this week's "Happenings" eBlast):

--8/5: Back to School Blessings of Teachers, Administrators, Students and our recently packed school mission backpacks
--8/19: "Connect Groups" Kick-off Sunday
--8/22: "Back to School" church and community-wide Parking Lot Party and Cookout
--8/29: Wednesday Night Supper and Programs start up

In September, look for several Vision Town Hall Meetings for an update and to solicit input and feedback for use of a major financial gift our church received in the last few years.

Also late this Fall (probably November), look for an open Information Session where we'll share an overview of the recent work of the United Methodist Church's "Commission on A Way Forward" and next February 2019's called special session of the UMC General Conference (read more about this HERE).

As you can see, there are a lot of great things happening in the life of McKendree Church as we seek to carry out our Vision of "Nurturing Community, Connecting All Through Christ."  This corporate Vision and calling from God is more important than any individual agenda or personal excuse.  So, I encourage us all to make worship and ministry with and through God's people a priority this Fall in our lives! 

Remember, God loves you and I do, too!