Dreams

Today was youth sunday.  I now breathe a big sigh of relief.  Yesterday was maddening because the youth wouldn’t focus as we tried to practice and didn’t seem to care (some of them at least).  But today, they really pulled it together and did a great job…and I really think people listened.  Last year, they got comments that it was “cute”…this year they actually got through to people.   They pushed some buttons.  They offended some people.  They played crazy music.  They made people think.  They made bold statements like “I have something to say.”  And quoting a friend of mine and Montreat keynoter “we need to turn the world upside down and the church right side up”.  And they were speaking out of a place the whole service where we are becoming more and more aware that the church is not doing its job – we are not living truly as Christ intended.   Something needs to change. 

As part of the service, people were asked to write their dreams for the church (after some of the youth and adult members shared their dreams out loud), and put them in the offering plate.  The responses were interesting to say the least.  Some people really got it.  Some people used it as a comment card for the service.  And some were just confusing.  But I wanted to share some of them.  I’ll begin with a few that the youth called “nasty grams”

• I do not like change.  I do not like children preaching.  There is a time and place and this is not it.  I do not like rock in church.
• To have a church bulletin each week! (we just used a screen today)
• I like tradition.
• No “rap” music as part of service, especially with lyrics denegrating this country – disgusting. (We played Revolution by Kirk Franklin and Where’s the Love by the Black Eyed Peas – we anticipated people dismissing the song because of the genre, so the lyrics were printed or on the screen)

There were a few that rubbed the feminist in me the wrong way:

• I dream of having a minister who is a man of God.
• I’d like to see a humble, sincere, godly man in the pulpit preaching God’s truth in love…He can be young or old.  He can have a family or be single.  Somebody really humble like Moses.

Some were truly inspiring:

• My dream is that our church will find a minister with the fire to blow us out of the water.  Our church has become too comfortable…we need to be knocked over and to be made ALIVE again…no pain, no gain. (we are without a minister right now – the interim was approved today – hooray)
• My dream is that for this church to show me how to be a “hot” believer.  For this world has made me cold. (Our scripture was Revelation 3:15, 16, 20.)
• To lose the mindset that we are a poor church.
• I dream that all that we do is done in love helping each other to find and respond to God’s call.
• My dream for the church is that the real message of God’s be revealed and not some modified “main stream” version.  The true word can’t be morphed into something that fits one’s personal needs.
• My dream for the church is to open our hearts to new ideas and new ways of doing things (work).  I hope we can value our young people and provide worship that includes and moves them.

From the mouths of babes:

• For an 8 year-old boy to go to Pearlington, MS (where we have been going on mission trips)
• I dream that Jesus will come to the church.
• I dream that we could have more church days.
• Dream is the youth learn how having a set of core values can help them become stronger Christians.  And taking a more defined stance in the community.

All in all, we got an amazing response…I hope that people continue to dream big for the Church.