I recently traveled by train to Minneapolis for the National Handbell Seminar. A large percentage of handbell choirs are in churches and we're always looking for fresh ideas of how to use bells in worship. One of our concerts was a hymn sing in a nearby church, the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church. It was a wonderful hour of singing. The music was led by Bells of the Lakes along with the church's handbell choir, vocal choir, and organist, all directed by William Mathis, Minister of Music at the church. And when the congregation is full of musicians the singing is enthusiastic and in four-part harmony.
Halfway through the program I noticed the cloths on the pulpit and lectern were red (as appropriate for the season after Pentecost) with a rainbow pattern running through it. After the program I went looking -- and found a small banner in the narthex proclaiming the church to be a Reconciling Congregation. That felt good. I was able to talk to Bill Mathis for a few moments, hoping to gain insight that might help my own congregation. He said the decision to become reconciling was easy because there were so many gays and lesbians already in the congregation. They were one of the first churches to do so.
If you have similar stories of encounters with welcoming (or, alas, not) churches please write them down and send them to me. I'll include them on this blog. I am also interested in your stories about the Sing a New Song conference coming up later this month. You may send them to my email address: bellist (at) comcast (dot) net.
No comments:
Post a Comment