Today I visited Custer Road UMC in Plano, TX. It is the largest of the churches I have attended. Size has its benefits and its drawbacks.
Distance 9.7 miles
Travel time: less than 20 minutes; easy to get to on major roads.
The narthex was bustling with people and I did not see any designated greeters. After a few minutes I went in and sat down on a row near the back where another single woman was sitting. Another unaccompanied woman came in a joined me as the service was beginning, so I did not get into conversation with her until later.
The music was glorious. CRUMC has a magnificent pipe organ and an organist who knows how to play it. The choir sang a Mozart piece which was nicely balanced with no voices standing out. The offertory was a solo by a very accomplished young woman singer. I especially enjoyed the hymns, "Let All Things Their Creator Bless," " Great is Thy Faithfulness" (my all-time favorite) , and in closing, "Here I Am Lord," which fit the sermon text in Isaiah.
Although large screens are present at the sides of the choir loft and altar area, they were not used as cheat sheets for hymns and liturgy. They were instead used to provide a better view of the speakers and choir, for those who might not be able to see. I can live with this use of media. The other compromise I will obviously have to make is that of accepting that congregations are going to applaud the musical selections. I don't care for it, but it seems to be the norm here. FUMC Jackson may have been one of the last hold-outs in this area.
The sermon was engaging and the children's sermon was tailored to deliver the same message.
I felt very ambivalent about the church until after the service. I was thinking that I wished I could have the music of CRUMC, the preaching at First McKinney, and the friendliness of the people at Frisco. But I also realize that for me, a single woman, the key to feeling at home in a church is going to be the small groups I affiliate with. I have learned to be assertive about introducing myself and not just expecting that someone will somehow figure out that I am a visitor and approach me. With that resolve, I introduced myself to one of the Associate Pastors, Leslie Herrscher, and as we chatted, I found that she was in seminary with Charlie Overton. When she found out I was interested in choir, she took me to meet the Minister of Music and gave me a brief tour of the facility as we searched for him. Turns out Tim (Morrison) was one of Charlie's profs at Perkins, so he was also very welcoming and encouraging me to come to choir.
On the way home I had much of the same feeling I had the first time I visited FUMC Jackson, that I had found my church home. Now I have a decision to make: I had planned to start Round 2 next week by visiting SS classes in the churches I had already visited. Now I am not sure I want to. I think I might just go to the visitor's class at CRUMC next week and begin to make friends there. Of the 4 churches I have visited, I think CR has most of what I am looking for.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
ChurchSearch: Round 1, Week 3
I took last week off after doing a face-plant on the sidewalk during my walk Saturday morning. I decided my swollen and bruised visage needed privacy. Today, with the swelling subsiding and the bruise concealed, somewhat, under an inch or so of DermaBlend, I resumed my search by visiting FUMC Allen, TX.
Distance: 10 miles
Driving time: 17 minutes
Allen FUMC has 3 services, which seems to be the norm here in Texas. The 8:30 service is Contemporary, the 9:45 Blended, and the 11:00 is normally the Traditional service. With the combination of summer informality and the message, today was not exactly Traditional. There was no choir; an ensemble sang the Offertory. The message on the relevance, or lack of, the church in society was preceded by a PowerPoint slide show of 1960's scenes accompanied by the music of the time. The minister was dynamic, the message interesting and thought-provoking, although I sensed a bit of "we need to change with the times and do the new music, etc." which is not my favorite theme.
I engaged in conversation with one of the greeters, a woman about my age who, when she found out I was new in town, was very eager to introduce me to others and even walked me to the room where a recommended Sunday School class meets. As the service was about to begin, another woman asked to sit with me, the first time that has happened. The sanctuary was sparsely populated, possibly because of mid-summer vacationing and several church groups off doing projects elsewhere. I will be interested to see how the attendance is during the fall, after school has started back.
My one real disappointment was with the organist. I realize my expectations are quite high after being treated to the organ and piano skills of Dr. Terry McRoberts, to whom anyone is unlikely to measure up, but this lady (I don't know if she is the regular organist or a substitute) played the congregational hymns so fast it was impossible to keep up. I don't like draggy hymns, but I do like to observe punctuation and to catch a breath now and then. She seemed oblivious to everyone and just plowed through the hymns as if she wanted to get them over with. If she is the regular organist, I don't think I'll be joining FUMC Allen.
I did take a moment after the service to meet the Minister of Music, who was a seminary classmate of my Charlie Overton at FUMC Jackson. He is an affable young man, and I am really happy to see seminary-educated Ministers of Music. From my association with Charlie I know that they have a perspective on worship music that a secularly trained musician may not have.
So, I will return to FUMC Allen at least once more and will attend a Sunday School class. Next Sunday's ChurchSearch will take me to Custer Road UMC in Plano.
Distance: 10 miles
Driving time: 17 minutes
Allen FUMC has 3 services, which seems to be the norm here in Texas. The 8:30 service is Contemporary, the 9:45 Blended, and the 11:00 is normally the Traditional service. With the combination of summer informality and the message, today was not exactly Traditional. There was no choir; an ensemble sang the Offertory. The message on the relevance, or lack of, the church in society was preceded by a PowerPoint slide show of 1960's scenes accompanied by the music of the time. The minister was dynamic, the message interesting and thought-provoking, although I sensed a bit of "we need to change with the times and do the new music, etc." which is not my favorite theme.
I engaged in conversation with one of the greeters, a woman about my age who, when she found out I was new in town, was very eager to introduce me to others and even walked me to the room where a recommended Sunday School class meets. As the service was about to begin, another woman asked to sit with me, the first time that has happened. The sanctuary was sparsely populated, possibly because of mid-summer vacationing and several church groups off doing projects elsewhere. I will be interested to see how the attendance is during the fall, after school has started back.
My one real disappointment was with the organist. I realize my expectations are quite high after being treated to the organ and piano skills of Dr. Terry McRoberts, to whom anyone is unlikely to measure up, but this lady (I don't know if she is the regular organist or a substitute) played the congregational hymns so fast it was impossible to keep up. I don't like draggy hymns, but I do like to observe punctuation and to catch a breath now and then. She seemed oblivious to everyone and just plowed through the hymns as if she wanted to get them over with. If she is the regular organist, I don't think I'll be joining FUMC Allen.
I did take a moment after the service to meet the Minister of Music, who was a seminary classmate of my Charlie Overton at FUMC Jackson. He is an affable young man, and I am really happy to see seminary-educated Ministers of Music. From my association with Charlie I know that they have a perspective on worship music that a secularly trained musician may not have.
So, I will return to FUMC Allen at least once more and will attend a Sunday School class. Next Sunday's ChurchSearch will take me to Custer Road UMC in Plano.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
ChurchSearch: Round 1, Week 2
First United Methodist Church, Frisco, TX was my worship destination today.
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 15-20 minutes
Although farther in distance than FUMC McKinney, FUMC Frisco is a straight shot through undeveloped land and actually takes less time to navigate than the city streets and freeways of McKinney.
Frisco FUMC is building a new 600 seat sanctuary and is currently meeting in the Family Life Building. During the summer the service is casual -- at least I am assuming it is because it is summer. The choir was in civvies, the ministers in shirtsleeves. Hymnals were scarce and songs were projected onto a screen at the front. I gathered from announcements that were made that technology will be a big part of the service in the new sanctuary as well. At least the hymns chosen were from the hymnbook and were not repetitive praise songs. One can praise in song without being repetitive! The doxology, Lord's Prayer, and Apostles Creed, as well as the Gloria Patri were part of the service. The choir sang "On Holy Ground," an anthem I like and they did it justice. Applause followed, along with a number of enthusiastic "Amens."
The people were very welcoming and friendly. That could well offset any worship differences from my standard. I engaged in conversation with one of the greeters who then introduced me to her husband and invited me to their Sunday School class. The husband, P. provided me with visitor information packets. I sat alone, but met the ladies behind me during the greeting time, and the lady at the other end of my row made a point of welcoming me, finding out that I am a singer, and introducing me to the Minister of Music. She also invited me to come to the Frisco Senior center and participate in their musical activities. About that time P. came over with the pastor and introduced me. Pastor M. has a Jackson connection, a nephew that is youth minister at a Methodist church that reminds me very much of Frisco FUMC.
The sermon was about the Mission that we all have in the world, and about knowing what we need to do and trusting God for a way to do it. The delivery was informal, chatty, and at times interactive. FFUMC is definitely on my Round 2 list.
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 15-20 minutes
Although farther in distance than FUMC McKinney, FUMC Frisco is a straight shot through undeveloped land and actually takes less time to navigate than the city streets and freeways of McKinney.
Frisco FUMC is building a new 600 seat sanctuary and is currently meeting in the Family Life Building. During the summer the service is casual -- at least I am assuming it is because it is summer. The choir was in civvies, the ministers in shirtsleeves. Hymnals were scarce and songs were projected onto a screen at the front. I gathered from announcements that were made that technology will be a big part of the service in the new sanctuary as well. At least the hymns chosen were from the hymnbook and were not repetitive praise songs. One can praise in song without being repetitive! The doxology, Lord's Prayer, and Apostles Creed, as well as the Gloria Patri were part of the service. The choir sang "On Holy Ground," an anthem I like and they did it justice. Applause followed, along with a number of enthusiastic "Amens."
The people were very welcoming and friendly. That could well offset any worship differences from my standard. I engaged in conversation with one of the greeters who then introduced me to her husband and invited me to their Sunday School class. The husband, P. provided me with visitor information packets. I sat alone, but met the ladies behind me during the greeting time, and the lady at the other end of my row made a point of welcoming me, finding out that I am a singer, and introducing me to the Minister of Music. She also invited me to come to the Frisco Senior center and participate in their musical activities. About that time P. came over with the pastor and introduced me. Pastor M. has a Jackson connection, a nephew that is youth minister at a Methodist church that reminds me very much of Frisco FUMC.
The sermon was about the Mission that we all have in the world, and about knowing what we need to do and trusting God for a way to do it. The delivery was informal, chatty, and at times interactive. FFUMC is definitely on my Round 2 list.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Warm Welcome to North Texas -- Not!
The previous owners moved out of my house in May. The day they had the utilities cut off, I called and established accounts to get the electricity and water on and in my name -- no problem. I tried to call the gas company and got a busy signal. After several unsuccessful tries, I went back to my packing and figured that the gas didn't really need to be on until I got there. Only the water heater, fireplace, and furnace are gas. Then a couple of days before I was due to leave TN, I suddenly realized that I had not ever gotten back to the gas company. This time I persevered and finally got to talk to a human, and set it up to have the gas turned on June 19, my driving down day.
I was looking forward to a hot shower after the drive, part of which was with car air conditioning on the blink. What a rude shock to find out that the gas company would not turn the gas on because of some problem with the pressure, that a plumber would have to come out and it wouldn't be until Monday, and then the city had to inspect, all before the gas company would turn my gas on. As if the aggravation were not enough, I would have to pay between $400 and $5oo for the comfort of a hot shower.
My first plumber, sent by the home warranty folks, came out yesterday, found no problem, but advised me that he was not licensed to do the pressure test and that I would have to get someone licensed by the city. Okey Dokey, so I call the city inspection department and get a somewhat snippy woman on the phone. She is long on attitude and short on information until I ask her, "Work with me, will you? I am brand new in town and know nothing about how the system works." The attitude calmed a bit, but I was still left to find my own plumber from the phone book.
After a couple of calls, I finally reach a plumber who is licensed to do the pressure test. That plumber is on the premises now, and I am nervously awaiting his verdict. If he finds that everything tests out fine, then I have to wait for the city to send out an inspector, then the city tells the gas company and the gas company comes out to turn on the gas. Would you like to take bets on how many more days I will be without hot water?
So much for having a "warm" welcome to McKinney -- the only warm thing so far is the weather.
I was looking forward to a hot shower after the drive, part of which was with car air conditioning on the blink. What a rude shock to find out that the gas company would not turn the gas on because of some problem with the pressure, that a plumber would have to come out and it wouldn't be until Monday, and then the city had to inspect, all before the gas company would turn my gas on. As if the aggravation were not enough, I would have to pay between $400 and $5oo for the comfort of a hot shower.
My first plumber, sent by the home warranty folks, came out yesterday, found no problem, but advised me that he was not licensed to do the pressure test and that I would have to get someone licensed by the city. Okey Dokey, so I call the city inspection department and get a somewhat snippy woman on the phone. She is long on attitude and short on information until I ask her, "Work with me, will you? I am brand new in town and know nothing about how the system works." The attitude calmed a bit, but I was still left to find my own plumber from the phone book.
After a couple of calls, I finally reach a plumber who is licensed to do the pressure test. That plumber is on the premises now, and I am nervously awaiting his verdict. If he finds that everything tests out fine, then I have to wait for the city to send out an inspector, then the city tells the gas company and the gas company comes out to turn on the gas. Would you like to take bets on how many more days I will be without hot water?
So much for having a "warm" welcome to McKinney -- the only warm thing so far is the weather.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
ChurchSearch: Round 1, Week 1
Today I attended the closest church on my list, FUMC McKinney.
Distance: about 4.5 miles
Time to drive: 20 minutes
First impression: FUMC McKinney is like FUMC Jackson in that they made a decision to stay downtown when others were moving out, and to have a ministry in the area. The VBS children sang a couple of songs and I noticed several Hispanic and African-American children among the group, so that tells me the church is reaching out. The sanctuary has been enlarged, with the boundaries of the original sanctuary still evident.
I attended the 11:00 service, which is one of the traditional services. The choir was small, but that may be due to summer vacations, or it may be that the choir covers more than one worship service.
I felt pretty much ignored, but at the end of the service the couple sitting on the pew near me did introduce themselves and we chatted a bit. I learned that the church has added 150 new members in the last 5 months, when their new pastor began serving. With that many new people, it is hard to recognize someone who is there for the first time, so I am not offended. I will attend SS on Round 2, and then I expect to meet more people.
The pastor is enthusiastic, entertaining, and quite inspirational. His text was the Sermon on the Mount, which he used to challenge the people of the church to solve problems, rather than just asking God to take care of it. He was moving about through most of the sermon, addressing himself to the choir, and to all portions of the wide sanctuary.
Applause was appropriate, I thought, when the children sang, but there was none when the Sanctuary choir completed their anthem. The doxology followed immediately after the anthem, so it will be interesting to see what happens when/if the choir sings an anthem earlier in the service.
Next week: FUMC Frisco
Distance: about 4.5 miles
Time to drive: 20 minutes
First impression: FUMC McKinney is like FUMC Jackson in that they made a decision to stay downtown when others were moving out, and to have a ministry in the area. The VBS children sang a couple of songs and I noticed several Hispanic and African-American children among the group, so that tells me the church is reaching out. The sanctuary has been enlarged, with the boundaries of the original sanctuary still evident.
I attended the 11:00 service, which is one of the traditional services. The choir was small, but that may be due to summer vacations, or it may be that the choir covers more than one worship service.
I felt pretty much ignored, but at the end of the service the couple sitting on the pew near me did introduce themselves and we chatted a bit. I learned that the church has added 150 new members in the last 5 months, when their new pastor began serving. With that many new people, it is hard to recognize someone who is there for the first time, so I am not offended. I will attend SS on Round 2, and then I expect to meet more people.
The pastor is enthusiastic, entertaining, and quite inspirational. His text was the Sermon on the Mount, which he used to challenge the people of the church to solve problems, rather than just asking God to take care of it. He was moving about through most of the sermon, addressing himself to the choir, and to all portions of the wide sanctuary.
Applause was appropriate, I thought, when the children sang, but there was none when the Sanctuary choir completed their anthem. The doxology followed immediately after the anthem, so it will be interesting to see what happens when/if the choir sings an anthem earlier in the service.
Next week: FUMC Frisco
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Church Search Gets Underway
I attended my last service as a choir member at FUMC Jackson yesterday. I was blown away by the farewell sevice the choir offered and the announcement from the pulpit by our Minister of Music. Charlie had whispered to me before the service that he would like to do that after the final hymn, as the congregation had grown used to seeing me and would wonder where I was. I guess I thought I would just quietly leave and at some point in the future, someone would ask my whereabouts. That was not to be, and I am gratified by the love and sorrow at my leaving, along with the good wishes and expressions of understanding that I will be near one of my grandchildren. My church is an important part of my life and it will be hard to replace First United Methodist in Jackson, TN, where I have had my membership for the last 10 years. I remember the first Sunday I attended and I felt as though I had truly “come home,” although I had never attended there before.
In preparation for my move to McKinney, TX, I have been scoping out churches on the internet, something I could never do before. I have narrowed my Round 1 list to seven churches in McKinney and nearby towns. Each week I will visit a different church and blog about my experience and impressions of that church. I invite my readers to comment and make suggestions for other churches I might want to add to my list.
Here are my criteria:
· An age-diverse membership. A church with young families is a church with a future. But I also need a peer group of retirees and grandparents, and single women like myself. I want someone to go to lunch with after church on Sunday
· A Traditional worship service. I am all for having other services to suit the tastes of others, but my preference is for a robed choir, robed pastors, an organ, no PowerPoint sermons, the Doxology and the Creed, and, this may be asking too much, but judicious use of applause. I don’t mind a spontaneous exuberant applause when the anthem is, as one of my former choir friends used to say, a “barn-burner.” I am totally turned off by polite, obligatory applause when the anthem does not warrant it – a quiet, prayerful, meditative anthem just should not inspire hand-clapping. That happened at a church I visited, and I never went back.
· Availability of Disciple Bible study and other studies at a time that does not conflict with choir practice
· Senior Adult activities that include some local opportunities for cash-strapped retirees
· Use of the hymn book for songs; Have I mentioned that I do not care for what one retired pastor calls 7-11 songs – those that have 7 words sung 11 times, (or 11 words sung 7 times.) In brief, I am not a fan of “praise and worship” music, although I can tolerate it in small doses
Am I too picky? I guess I will find out as I start to visit the churches of North Texas. Next Sunday I will go to the first one on my list: First UMC, McKinney. After that I plan to attend the First UMCs in Frisco, Allen, and Plano, as well as Custer Road in Plano, and, at the urging of Charlie Overton, Suncrest in Allen. The ChurchSearch is on!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
I did it!
My new avatar shows the new me: 50 pounds lighter and 18" thinner. I have done this over the last 8 months with the help of my friend Jenny Craig. I won't be showing off the new me in a bikini like Valerie Bertinelli, but I am feeling better, more energetic, and am enjoying being able to get on the floor with my grandchildren and then being able to get back up again. My aging, creaking knees still get the best of me at times, but they have 50 pounds less to support. If an article in AARP magazine several months ago was correct, each 10 pounds of weight loss means 40 less pounds on the knees. I'm not a mathematician so I don't know how that works, but if true, it means my knees are bearing 200 pounds less stress.
Now the hard part comes: keeping it off. I chose Jenny Craig because I have not enjoyed cooking in the years that I've been single again -- actually quit enjoying it for a few years before I became single again -- but had found myself eating more fast food and making meals of fritos and bean dip with a hot fudge sundae. All of those bad habits finally got the best of me and last September, I made the decision to get healthy again. Jenny's meals have been easy and tasty; not having to keep leftovers, having portions controlled, and being able to have a slice of cheesecake without having to purchase a whole one and then having it call my name has been a major part of my success.
Along the way, I have become more conscious of portion size, although what I ate at meals has never been the biggest part of my weight problem; it's all the "grazing" that I have done out of boredom, stress and, at times, depression. I'm still not exercising as faithfully as I should be. Getting ready for an out of state move has been my major source of activity the past few weeks, and will constitute a major portion of my activity after I get to my new home next week and start the unpacking process. I will also be living a few blocks from my 6 year old, very active, grandson, and I'm sure he will help to keep me active as well.
I will miss seeing my counselor, Eve, at Jenny Craig each week. She has been so positive, full of praise and encouragement, and has made my weekly visits something to look forward to, not to dread. Thanks, Eve, and thank you Jenny.
Now the hard part comes: keeping it off. I chose Jenny Craig because I have not enjoyed cooking in the years that I've been single again -- actually quit enjoying it for a few years before I became single again -- but had found myself eating more fast food and making meals of fritos and bean dip with a hot fudge sundae. All of those bad habits finally got the best of me and last September, I made the decision to get healthy again. Jenny's meals have been easy and tasty; not having to keep leftovers, having portions controlled, and being able to have a slice of cheesecake without having to purchase a whole one and then having it call my name has been a major part of my success.
Along the way, I have become more conscious of portion size, although what I ate at meals has never been the biggest part of my weight problem; it's all the "grazing" that I have done out of boredom, stress and, at times, depression. I'm still not exercising as faithfully as I should be. Getting ready for an out of state move has been my major source of activity the past few weeks, and will constitute a major portion of my activity after I get to my new home next week and start the unpacking process. I will also be living a few blocks from my 6 year old, very active, grandson, and I'm sure he will help to keep me active as well.
I will miss seeing my counselor, Eve, at Jenny Craig each week. She has been so positive, full of praise and encouragement, and has made my weekly visits something to look forward to, not to dread. Thanks, Eve, and thank you Jenny.
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