One of the great fears in small church programs, particularly Pastor-planned programs, is that no one will come. Few things are more depressing than preparing for an event that no one attends. We came very close to that tonight. We had three people. To make matters worse, it was a two church event. So two of the three were clergy. At least when it is only your church, you can simply scratch that idea and consider it a lesson learned.
During Lent, we have joint special programs with the local Methodist church. We have an Ash Wednesday service at their place and a Maundy Thursday service at ours. In between, we flip back and forth weekly for our Lenten study program. Last year, we read A Purpose Driven Life. This year we are studying The Spirituality of Fund-Raising by Henri Nouwen. The Methodist minister has taken the lead in this, and she has prepared wonderful lessons.
Tonight she broke off from what she had planned, and we discussed possible joint missional opportunities. Both of these churches have long histories and long histories together. There have been merger talks since 1925. Our paths seem intertwined, and we will continue to work together. She is right to begin to focus on joint mission. I think it is a good step in our relationship, and in any relationship that serves the Lord.
