btw...I've shut off the facebook, if you can't find me there. Too much time consuming for now.
Sis. Becky...I WISH YOU WERE HERE TOO!!! We could really use Katie, Joe & Same in the dramas!!! We miss them already and they haven't even gotten to attend yet!
All the children are learning to sign "Merry Christmas Jesus". They did really good this Sunday and picked it all up fast. It's a tear jerker. The older children have a second chorus to sign in a short drama.
The new Bell Choir leader is doing a great job of learning the ropes. I think the kids know the routine...it's just difficult to learn how to handle the cards and timing. Pray for Sis. Mistie. I'm such a clutz, all the cards would end up on the floor if I did it, so I'm glad that she is taking this on.
I have Bro. Steve getting the lights and sound ready...Sis. Powell on costuming...
I need to be able to black out the window (all eleven of them!) since the play is in the morning.
I'm trying to figure out how to build a tomb (yes I know it's Christmas)without bugging Bro. Hopkins.
On top of practice every Sunday AM, PM & Wed PM, I am trying to make sure the children have a short lesson each of those times. They need their church too!...Not just practicing!
The evening after the play (Sunday PM) will be our annual Christmas dinner (finger foods and desserts really) along with the very sanctified "Halleujah Hand-Over". I despise the name "Dirty Santa" so I am talking them all into renaming it. (I don't play...I'm just trying to rename it. Ha!)
....Maybe I'll have pictures of the play to post by January.
Aw, man! I haven't been in a church large enough to actually DO stuff like that since I was a kid! It all sounds soooooo fun! ~sigh~ Can I say it again? I WISH WE WERE THERE!!!!!
Frankly, I'm not sure a "Hallelujah Hand-Over" is a very appropriate name for stealing other people's stuff. Maybe afterward you could have an altar call and a "Restitution Return." ;-)
LOL! Well, I figured if they all said "Hallelujah" (sp?) when they had to hand it over, then they would stay more sanctified. However, we have a good natured church and no one has ever lost their sanctification over the game. Lot's of laughter and a couple of pros at "sneaky" trading. Ha!
When you get to show up, we'll let you do more than "do"...we'll even let you "CO-ORDINATE!" HA! Since I think Bro. Horne has only attended Bessemer on a Wed. night and a Sunday night, he'll probably be puzzled about that "big enough church". Like most churches we don't have as large attendance at those times. We have a lot of people who travel long distances and have to navigate rush hour traffic.
I can't wait to get there and join you in services, worship, and your "sanctified" games. I, as always, will be willing to do whatever I can to help, but must warn you that I am a MUCH better follower than leader! Coordinating sounds too "in charge" for me--I'm much better at being given a specific job and executing it FOR the coordinator! Ha!
"Like most churches," you have less people at some services. I've got to be honest... I don't think I've ever been to a church like that! Our attendance is always straight across the board. If there are 15 on Sunday morning, the same 15 will be there on Sunday night and the week night service, as well as every night of a revival--including 82 year old Sister Grimes. There are exceptions here and there, I suppose, but they are extremely rare. "The faithful few" was always... well, pretty much everybody! Ha! In any case, once we get there we'll be part of the Sunday morning crowd or perhaps the Sunday night or Wednesday night crowd since we'll be visiting churches around the state as often as possible. That's a bittersweet thought. Ha! Either way, I can't wait to get there!!! :-)
I figured that's the way it's out West. ;) We have the faithful 25-29 for most all services. The other 20...not so much. One family does live over 70 miles away and that's understandable. Some of the others seem to only want to show up on Sunday morning. I don't know why. We've tried.
And the only reason I called that game "sanctified" at Bessemer is because I've seen and heard about some really "unsanctified" dirty santa games in some churches where it looked like someone needed to go pray through. ;/
Somebody asked one of our preachers recently, "How do you get your people to come to all of the services?" The pastor just sort of stared at him, mouth open, wondering what to say. Things are so different out west--I think it's related to being so small and so sparce and being in such massive regions. You couldn't keep most of the folks away from church (local services or regional functions) if you threatened them at gunpoint--they just couldn't imagine NOT being there! I don't know HOW you get people motivated and inspired to feel that way about church. I don't know how it happened out here, so I don't know how to re-create that desire elsewhere. Wish I had the magic potion. Since there's no such thing I guess we'll just have to seek God for the answer. ;-) Folks just don't know what they're missing out on!
It would be a little disturbing to see a local church Christmas party turn into a brawl over Dirty Santa. Ha! Glad to hear we've got happy, sanctified folks at my local church! :-)
Mike and I was having that same discussion about attending Sunday School. We've tried excitement (worked for a little while until it wore off), contests (ended as soon as the contest ended).
We've come to the conclusion that it will only be by the Spirit of God. That when the Holy Ghost starts moving in our Sunday Schools (through travail) then you won't be able to hold a gun to someone's head to keep them away. However, I can't control the Holy Ghost...I can only let Him move through me. So that's my goal. Make sure that He can move through me.
Sis. Tammy, Large sheets (8 ft X 4Ft) work well to make a tomb. A little spray paint, chalk and imagination and you'll have a great looking tomb in no time.
12 comments:
Hmmmm. Maybe you'll blog again in January???
WISH WE WERE THERE!!!!
btw...I've shut off the facebook, if you can't find me there. Too much time consuming for now.
Sis. Becky...I WISH YOU WERE HERE TOO!!! We could really use Katie, Joe & Same in the dramas!!! We miss them already and they haven't even gotten to attend yet!
All the children are learning to sign "Merry Christmas Jesus". They did really good this Sunday and picked it all up fast. It's a tear jerker. The older children have a second chorus to sign in a short drama.
The new Bell Choir leader is doing a great job of learning the ropes. I think the kids know the routine...it's just difficult to learn how to handle the cards and timing. Pray for Sis. Mistie. I'm such a clutz, all the cards would end up on the floor if I did it, so I'm glad that she is taking this on.
I have Bro. Steve getting the lights and sound ready...Sis. Powell on costuming...
I need to be able to black out the window (all eleven of them!) since the play is in the morning.
I'm trying to figure out how to build a tomb (yes I know it's Christmas)without bugging Bro. Hopkins.
On top of practice every Sunday AM, PM & Wed PM, I am trying to make sure the children have a short lesson each of those times. They need their church too!...Not just practicing!
The evening after the play (Sunday PM) will be our annual Christmas dinner (finger foods and desserts really) along with the very sanctified "Halleujah Hand-Over". I despise the name "Dirty Santa" so I am talking them all into renaming it. (I don't play...I'm just trying to rename it. Ha!)
....Maybe I'll have pictures of the play to post by January.
Aw, man! I haven't been in a church large enough to actually DO stuff like that since I was a kid! It all sounds soooooo fun! ~sigh~ Can I say it again? I WISH WE WERE THERE!!!!!
Frankly, I'm not sure a "Hallelujah Hand-Over" is a very appropriate name for stealing other people's stuff. Maybe afterward you could have an altar call and a "Restitution Return." ;-)
LOL! Well, I figured if they all said "Hallelujah" (sp?) when they had to hand it over, then they would stay more sanctified. However, we have a good natured church and no one has ever lost their sanctification over the game. Lot's of laughter and a couple of pros at "sneaky" trading. Ha!
When you get to show up, we'll let you do more than "do"...we'll even let you "CO-ORDINATE!" HA!
Since I think Bro. Horne has only attended Bessemer on a Wed. night and a Sunday night, he'll probably be puzzled about that "big enough church". Like most churches we don't have as large attendance at those times. We have a lot of people who travel long distances and have to navigate rush hour traffic.
I can't wait to get there and join you in services, worship, and your "sanctified" games. I, as always, will be willing to do whatever I can to help, but must warn you that I am a MUCH better follower than leader! Coordinating sounds too "in charge" for me--I'm much better at being given a specific job and executing it FOR the coordinator! Ha!
"Like most churches," you have less people at some services. I've got to be honest... I don't think I've ever been to a church like that! Our attendance is always straight across the board. If there are 15 on Sunday morning, the same 15 will be there on Sunday night and the week night service, as well as every night of a revival--including 82 year old Sister Grimes. There are exceptions here and there, I suppose, but they are extremely rare. "The faithful few" was always... well, pretty much everybody! Ha! In any case, once we get there we'll be part of the Sunday morning crowd or perhaps the Sunday night or Wednesday night crowd since we'll be visiting churches around the state as often as possible. That's a bittersweet thought. Ha! Either way, I can't wait to get there!!! :-)
I figured that's the way it's out West. ;) We have the faithful 25-29 for most all services. The other 20...not so much. One family does live over 70 miles away and that's understandable. Some of the others seem to only want to show up on Sunday morning. I don't know why. We've tried.
And the only reason I called that game "sanctified" at Bessemer is because I've seen and heard about some really "unsanctified" dirty santa games in some churches where it looked like someone needed to go pray through. ;/
Somebody asked one of our preachers recently, "How do you get your people to come to all of the services?" The pastor just sort of stared at him, mouth open, wondering what to say. Things are so different out west--I think it's related to being so small and so sparce and being in such massive regions. You couldn't keep most of the folks away from church (local services or regional functions) if you threatened them at gunpoint--they just couldn't imagine NOT being there! I don't know HOW you get people motivated and inspired to feel that way about church. I don't know how it happened out here, so I don't know how to re-create that desire elsewhere. Wish I had the magic potion. Since there's no such thing I guess we'll just have to seek God for the answer. ;-) Folks just don't know what they're missing out on!
It would be a little disturbing to see a local church Christmas party turn into a brawl over Dirty Santa. Ha! Glad to hear we've got happy, sanctified folks at my local church! :-)
Mike and I was having that same discussion about attending Sunday School. We've tried excitement (worked for a little while until it wore off), contests (ended as soon as the contest ended).
We've come to the conclusion that it will only be by the Spirit of God. That when the Holy Ghost starts moving in our Sunday Schools (through travail) then you won't be able to hold a gun to someone's head to keep them away. However, I can't control the Holy Ghost...I can only let Him move through me. So that's my goal. Make sure that He can move through me.
It's December 19th. If you are coming...come that morning for the play!!! And see the sign language yo mamma is teaching them. :)
I don't play the game anyway. I just watch & eat & talk. Ha!
Sis. Tammy, Large sheets (8 ft X 4Ft) work well to make a tomb. A little spray paint, chalk and imagination and you'll have a great looking tomb in no time.
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