Exile

The minute I stepped into the church building, I knew things were going to be different. People were there who are normally not there. The smell of some glue or adhesive the workmen are using permeates the air headily. There are bits of carpeting here and there, trails of sawdust and dirt about.

I peek into the sanctuary. It is barren, devoid of pews and pulpits, stuff dangling about, a ladder left against the wall, tools abandoned where they were last used. Yes, it is official. We are in exile. Confined to the fellowship hall until the construction is complete. I grab my music folder and head down the hall to see how things are.

It will be interesting, this first service, as we try out how to function within these new parameters. The choir chairs are front and center. There is a white sheet hanging from the front wall, while the hymnbooks are stacked on a table against the back wall. Do we know were everyone will be situated? Will we still process and recess? That's the plan. But we will need to line up differently.

We still rehearse in the music room, but we need a cue to tell us when to come down the hall to enter the fellowship area and indicate the beginning of the service. The pastor is working on helping the acolytes figure out where they should be, the sound tech guys are testing to make sure the speakers and the computer and the projector are all working as well as the mikes.

We finally get in and get seated and the pastor rises to greet us all. It's interesting how often we look a certain direction expecting to find a familiar face or action only to realize it is not there. We must redirect our eyes. The room is abuzz with energy and nervous excitement. We stumble a bit here and there, but overall, the service goes well.

I am amazed at the singing of the congregation! Their faces are not buried in their hymnbooks and they are closer to me. I can actually hear them (although the choir cannot hear me! - we can fix that). I love that they feel more support and sing out more confidently. It's great.

Some people are sitting in the same approximate location as they sat in the sanctuary, others have found a new locale. People are seated closer together. Smiling faces locate where their friends are sitting. We set up more chairs. It is challenging to see the screen from some locations. We can fix that.

Having the words in front of us makes the meaning connect with us in more significant ways. I see it on the faces of the worshipers. Overall, though things still feel strange and a bit awkward, the service is good and we are engaging in ways we have not engaged in for a long time. Keeping this freshness while finding better ways to worship will be interesting and a journey well worth taking.