I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped with our Area Wide this past week.  We have had several people comment on how friendly everyone was and  how smooth it all ran.  This goes back to our entire church family stepping up and taking part in this event.  I want to say a special thank you to those who were at the beach making sure the teens stayed where they were supposed to, for those who directed traffic, and who helped serve the food.  Without your individual help it would not have been a success.

       One of the objectives for our Area Wide that we tried to accomplish was to get the teens from all groups interacting with each other.  I wonder if we need something similar in the church as a whole.  Recently I read an article from one of our bulletins from back in 1997 and it talked about this very topic.  Here’s just a tidbit from that article.  “Arriving tardy for church is not kosher.  Mainly because all the good seats are taken and the usher funnels you down front where the preacher can breathe on you.  One Sunday I was late and somebody occupied by pew spot.  As if that didn’t take the cake, the usher seated me on the wrong side of the church auditorium.  Never before have I worshiped with the North church.  I felt ill at ease on the North side.  During lulls in the sermon I snatched an occasional glimpse of the aliens around me.  “They must be newcomers, visitors, or out-of-town guests,” I thought.  After the closing prayer I proceeded to welcome all these strangers to the community and to our worship services.  To my surprise, they informed me they were not visitors!  One lady remarked that she had been worshiping with this community of Christians for the last 15 years.  Painful was the realization that we had spent years worshipping together and did not know one another’s name.”

       Want an adventure???  Next Sunday dislodge yourself from your familiar mooring and strike out for the other side of the   auditorium.  When we wean ourselves from that comfortable pew, perhaps we’ll find there is a new world just a few aisles away!!