The Very Best Things

[Mike Schutz]

Backstory: Recently spoke to a young person who is preparing for his first pastorate. He is moving to a small, struggling church with a difficult history. (Familiar scenario) He spoke of his desire to follow the typical advice of spending time getting to know the people before he makes any changes. I then suggested that he make sure not to view such a time as a passive exercise, but make sure to carefully listen to the heart cry of the people, and to frame the conversation in a particular way. If allowed, most folks want to bend the ear of the new pastor as to all the things that are wrong with the church, wrong with their fellow congregants, and especially wrong with the previous pastors. I encouraged him to ask them the stories of the best moments in the life of the church, the narrative of what they love and is meaningful about the faith community.

So, today I thought we could spend some time thinking about those moments in the faith communities of which we are a part.

What are the very best things about your church?
What are the best moments?

[Hans Deventer]

What I like best about our church is its ability to deal with the tension between law and grace, giving up on neither.
I also love how each pastor we had took the introduction course very seriously. This has been a tremendous blessing to our church and, I am sure, has prevented many of the battles churches have been facing through the years like fundamentalism, charismatic forces, objections to female leadership, legalism on the one hand, and lack of orthodoxy on the other.
We're also a church with talents. Music would be the obvious one, but also in many other areas, we are certainly blessed.

Its best moment is when others (and I have shared it before) say that if you have no where else to go, and no church wants you, you can still go to the Church of the Nazarene. It always makes me proud to be part of a community that, as imperfect as it is, at least in this respect reflects the One we were named after.

I guess each member will have different stories to tell, but this would be mine.

[Jim Franklin]

One Sunday morning Pastor Dave Cox at Valley Shepherd Nazarene in Meridian,ID stepped to the pulpit and said, "When I started preparing for today's sermon the Holy Spirit said to me 'Let Me take this one.' and so I am." He left the pulpit and sat down on a front seat. The congregation sat for a several moments and then I felt impressed to suggest we turn in our hymnals to the hymn "There is a place of quiet rest" in which there are the words "hold us who wait before thee near to the heart of God." the rest of the service was made up of testimonies, suggestions for other songs to be sung, reading of poems, vocal prayers and scripture reading. Several moved to the altar and afterwards one of the seeking young ladies came to me and said she was glad I had suggested that particular song as she did not recall ever hearing it before and it really brought her to the altar and closer to God. Towards the end of the service one speaker said that he thought that it was one of the best services he had ever experienced. Later Pastor Cox said to me "Isn't interesting that some of the 'best services' are when the pastor doesn't get to preach? Just can't beat the direction of the Holy Spirit.

[Susan Unger]

One Sunday morning Pastor Dave Cox at Valley Shepherd Nazarene in Meridian,ID stepped to the pulpit and said, "When I started preparing for today's sermon the Holy Spirit said to me 'Let Me take this one.' and so I am." He left the pulpit and sat down on a front seat. The congregation sat for a several moments and then I felt impressed to suggest we turn in our hymnals to the hymn "There is a place of quiet rest" in which there are the words "hold us who wait before thee near to the heart of God." the rest of the service was made up of testimonies, suggestions for other songs to be sung, reading of poems, vocal prayers and scripture reading. Several moved to the altar and afterwards one of the seeking young ladies came to me and said she was glad I had suggested that particular song as she did not recall ever hearing it before and it really brought her to the altar and closer to God. Towards the end of the service one speaker said that he thought that it was one of the best services he had ever experienced. Later Pastor Cox said to me "Isn't interesting that some of the 'best services' are when the pastor doesn't get to preach? Just can't beat the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Sounds heavenly!

[Susan Unger]

For my church - we have a good group that is interested in missions, it is not a legalistic church and we have a godly pastor.

[Billy Cox]

One Sunday morning Pastor Dave Cox at Valley Shepherd Nazarene in Meridian,ID stepped to the pulpit and said, "When I started preparing for today's sermon the Holy Spirit said to me 'Let Me take this one.' and so I am." He left the pulpit and sat down on a front seat. The congregation sat for a several moments and then I felt impressed to suggest we turn in our hymnals to the hymn "There is a place of quiet rest" in which there are the words "hold us who wait before thee near to the heart of God." the rest of the service was made up of testimonies, suggestions for other songs to be sung, reading of poems, vocal prayers and scripture reading. Several moved to the altar and afterwards one of the seeking young ladies came to me and said she was glad I had suggested that particular song as she did not recall ever hearing it before and it really brought her to the altar and closer to God. Towards the end of the service one speaker said that he thought that it was one of the best services he had ever experienced. Later Pastor Cox said to me "Isn't interesting that some of the 'best services' are when the pastor doesn't get to preach? Just can't beat the direction of the Holy Spirit.

I understand that the Quakers give every service to the Holy Spirit.