I have really enjoyed the fellowship time on Sunday mornings via Zoom from 10:30am to 11:30am. There is so much sharing of who we are and what we are all about. Our topics are as diverse as our history and experiences with people of color, to what we enjoy most in nature, to what were our fathers like. We always have 25-35 attend and we are having a harder time getting done within the hour we intended to meet. The last time we met I thought to myself: “I can feel the love!” Others mentioned that they have known each other for years but in these fellowship times they have learned more about each other than they could have possibly known by the casual conversations.
I call it intimacy through self-disclosure. I have often brought groups together and asked them to share their personal thoughts and experiences. Let’s face it, the topic we know best is our own history and thoughts. If we want to get close to someone we need to share who we are and what we think. The problem is that in casual conversation we usually talk about the same subjects over and over. We talk about the weather or our favorite sports team, but we seldom share our history and our below the surface thoughts.
Some in the Zoom fellowship were wondering if we could record some of these stories of who we are and what we think with the broader church. Certainly what we find valuable in the fellowship setting would also be valuable in other settings and even as an historical account. I was amazed at the truly inspiring stories that were shared on Father’s Day of the impact Fathers made not only on the lives of their children, but also on their community and in their church.
That got me thinking along with the men’s Bible study where I often share thoughts where I want depth and feedback. How can we record the thoughts and experiences of our members for future benefit before they are lost? What was suggested was a podcast type of format. Why not take it upon ourselves to interview our members, especially our older members who are more and more isolated because of the frailties of age, and record their thoughts on an audio or audio and video file for us all to benefit from? Maybe you know someone who the church needs to record their experiences and thoughts before they reach the silence of their heavenly home?
What questions might be a part of the interview? Questions like: What is your personal journey of faith? How has the church impacted your faith? What experiences have been instrumental in your faith journey? What relationships have been important in your life? Parents? Children? Friends?
If any of you feel this would be a valuable effort please put together an interview and send it to the church. Maybe we could add the interview to our recorded worship service or to our website as a regular feature. Consider this an open invitation to anyone who feels led to share the riches of another’s faith with the rest of the church. I am thinking of making it an assignment for our confirmation class. The results I am confident will be priceless and inspiring!!
Pastor Rick