Schools will
soon be starting. Summer vacations are wrapping up. One last party fling is
planned for Labor Day Weekend at the beginning of September. The time has come
to go back to work; fun time is over.
Is the church
ready to go back to work? Did it stop? Stop it did. Many churches changed
weekend schedules between Memorial Day in May and Labor Day. Some dropped an
extra worship service and combined everything into one. Others eliminated their
education programs for the children and combined the adult classes into one or discontinued
them altogether.
Choirs were given
a summer break as were children’s missions programs. Mid-week fellowship meals
stopped to give cooks a vacation. Training classes on Sunday evenings stopped.
Summer sermon series became shortened to two or three while Sunday evening
services were cancelled. The church practically came to a stop.
Was it
because the people refused to come? Did communities empty of their residents?
Was there no one to whom a church might minister? Did the needs disappear with
the people? The reality was the church limited itself for the summer.
Now the end
of summer has arrived, and it is time to begin the programs and return to
regular schedules. Everyone is rested and eager to get back to work. The tried
and true ministries await the starter button to be pushed at which time
everything will jump back into full motion. Or will it?
Ask any
public school teacher how much time is taken each fall to get students back
into learning mode and go through refresher lessons related to what had been
learned the year before. When extended breaks are taken, critical time is lost
as everything is brought back up to expected operational level when the break
is over.
We face the
reality our regular membership misses more church activities during the summer
than any other time of the year. To avoid the frustration of low attendance
churches modify or outright cancel services and programs. It is not to
accommodate their members. It is a reaction to their members.
Members are
given our blessing to short circuit their spiritual connection to the family of
God and perhaps to God himself. What we emphasize so much for nine months of
the year we delegate to silence during the three summer months. We dare not put
too much pressure on our membership or make them feel guilty.
Is this
being too harsh? I don’t think so. I’m sure you have heard the old refrain,
“God doesn’t take a holiday from watching over us. Why should we take a holiday
from being his salt and light in the world?”
During the
summer do we attend church when we are out of town? Do we make sure we maintain
our daily devotional time of Bible reading and prayer? Do we engage in
discipleship development and spiritual disciplines? Do we use vacation time to
serve in intentional ways the Kingdom of God?
I am glad to
say many of our people can answer yes to most or even all of the above
questions. For these people the summer months offer opportunities for personal
spiritual growth and service for the Kingdom of God not available at other
times of the year.
These people
feel the following verses do not apply just to the autumn, winter, and spring
seasons. They apply all year long.
Rom
12:10-13 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in
showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the
Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
2Ti
2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has
no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Heb
10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
