Welcome To The Vandalia Church of God!

It’s August at the Vandalia Church of God (as well as everywhere else). We notice the “dog days” as we get our handheld fans going a little faster and I preach in short sleeves on some Sundays. Amidst the normal goings on at the corner of Walnut and Railroad has been the arrival of younger children at our weekly services. Now, most churches are familiar with having children in worship, but our congregation is mostly of the grandparent and great-grandparent age range. This points to an interesting challenge for me as a pastor, but all of our folks as a church. The challenge is being our best and most Christ-like selves in a world where church is a pre-Covid notion that flies in the face of a quick service culture.

This past Sunday, we had an elementary schooler in church. This was interesting for both myself and the little person, because it was their first time in church. I’ve volunteered with vacation Bible schools and Sunday school programs for nearly 40 years, but it recently occurred to me that most of those experiences were with kids who’d been “churched.” Sure, I’d meet that one child during any given Sunday school who’d shout “Abraham Lincoln?” when the story of Genesis was told. For the most part, though, the kids came in having heard the Word in some form. I asked my new friend this past Sunday, the one who’d just been to church for the first time, if they enjoyed the service. They agreed that they did enjoy it and wanted to come back. My follow-up was “The message wasn’t too boring for you?” They answered that it definitely was, but that they’d like to visit again.

I understand something from my grade school friend’s answer. While there wasn’t a children’s program prepared (I plan to remedy that), or the bells and whistles that make family ministry so exciting in the age of technology, there was a heartfelt “something” a young person attending church for the first time could find comfort in. Maybe it’s grandparent-aged people who genuinely love on them. Possibly it’s music played with conviction by a young person who gives up his Sunday mornings for us. I know part of the appeal is that we continue to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the savior who offers love and hope to all generations. Programs? We’ll get there. Christ? ‘Already leading us in hope for the future.

**Streaming the weekly service. You may have heard of YouTube and the idea of live-streaming a church service. Well…starting on Sunday, September 1, our church services will be live on Youtube starting at 11:00 a.m. (trial run service on the 25th of August). As I talk to a wide range of folks throughout 10 counties in southern Michigan, a great many of them turn to live streaming as a way of being “in” church, even when health and weather prevent them from driving to church.

www.youtube.com/@VandaliaMichiganChurchof-jf1lu

***Our congregation continues to seek contractors for estimates and repair for the front steps and the chimney/roof issues. If you know an honest and reliable contractor, we’d love to hear from them.

****A big thank you to Compassus Hospice (Portage, Michigan Branch) for the donation of six heavy duty conference tables and 23 sturdy, padded chairs. Their generosity during a recent move was much appreciated.