Have you been enjoying Vital Vintage Church? 

If you’ve been reading it, you’re one of a select group. Not that I expected the whole church to join in our Whole Church Read, but just because most folks don’t give themselves permission to spend time reading anymore. Which is not to say, if you haven’t, “shame on you,” but rather, if you have, “Good for you!” It’s a pleasure to read about things that we care about and a pleasure to read a fast-moving, well-written book. Vital Vintage Church is all that and more. 

Also, if you’re reading this book and enjoying it, it might be because you’re aware of some changes we could make to become a more powerful and positive place for people to engage with their spirituality. That’s why I keep reminding you to invite your friends. See, they need what we have here, and they would benefit from what we do. Also, we’d benefit from them, because they would come with new ideas about how to do things and how to understand the world and about what’s important.

And they would change us a little, too. 

On the other hand, change of the sake of change is no great shakes, either. A number of years ago we had a change where someone decided we should have a mini-recital at the end of every worship service. This change may make sense in terms of getting more beautiful art into your head through your ears, which is always a part of our worship. But when it comes at the end of our service we lose momentum and miss out on having a transition time, a cue to say, “Okay, worship has ended here, and now you can rise and head out into the world!” As our friend and author Michael Piazza says, “Our worship has ended, and now our service begins.” 

To that end, from this Sunday forward, we’re going back to the way it was before we made a change. We’re going to receive the Postlude as a postlude, rather than sitting and just listening. We’ll rise and visit and head down to Fellowship Hall together while Monica plays. Now before you ask, yes, Monica is 100% on board with this change. She will still play something for us after the Benediction and the Choral Response where the choir sings “amen.” But now, while she’s playing, she and I and everyone else expect you to get up and socialize and head down to Fellowship Time after church. 

Just as masks are still “Welcome but Optional,” if you still want to just sit, feel free.

But do so knowing that Monica is not preparing a piece that she intends you to sit still and listen to. She’s playing “traveling music,” that is, music to get up and go to. She’ll still be playing and providing great music on the keyboards and with the choir during the service, but when the service ends and that last piece of music starts, you should feel free to move. 

See? It’s not all change of the sake of change. 

Sometimes it’s important for Pilgrim Church to reclaim practices that we used to have that served us better. I hope you’ll join me in rising and visiting during the Postlude starting Sunday, October 30^th, and please, if you have any feedback, let me know by email at cfeastman@pilgrimchurch.us, or by text, calls, or even in person!