Devotionals
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Third & Adams Street, PO Box 9774, Moscow, Idaho USA | (208) 882-3715

Pastor Debbie's E Spire - July 17, 2019

For the month of July, the Vision Team is encouraging us to think about hospitality. One of the things we discussed is how we as a church might be more hospitable. We want to think about the simple things and big changes we could make to help our guests feel welcome. We hosted coffee hour on the 7th(and are encouraging sign-ups for the coming weeks!), and have one of us as a greeter in the bell tower each Sunday this month. We’re preparing for our Love Your Neighbor event on July 27that East City Park, and now we’re thinking about other things that need our attention.

 

The following is a window into one of our discussions:

 

As we become comfortable in a place, we develop blindness---we stop seeing things. At home, it might be the box that was left in the living room that stays there for weeks, or the toys that are left out, or the appliance we grabbed from the garage that’s still sitting on the buffet waiting to get properly put away. We know it doesn’t belong there, but we’re not overly concerned about it and so it sits.

 

Similar things happen at church. Something (a box, a book, a decoration) comes in for something (an event, a meeting, or a service) and then it doesn’t get put away. If we weren’t the one to put it there, we’re likely not the one who’s going to try and put it back. But sometimes who is responsible is completely unknown…who should take care of it? And so it sits.

 

What makes us aware of the things that don’t quite fit? Irregularity or discomfort draws us back to cognition. It’s when we aren’t in our normal routine that we are finally able to notice the thing that’s irregular or out of place. We, as the vision team, want to make ourselves aware of what’s getting missed. What are we not seeing because we’re too comfortable? And not just us, but all of us….if we aren’t new, we may not even realize that “Epworth Hall” is a really foreign place, or that it’s not easy to find the nursery from the sanctuary, or not known how to use the lift.

 

So we’re asking you to help us see—for our sake and for those who will come next. To do that, we invite you to do things differently this Sunday. We want you to change your entrance (if you normally come in on third street, walk around to Adams). We want you to change where you sit. If you sit in the back, move to the front, if you sit on the organ side, move to the pulpit side. We want you to look for new things…pay attention to the details…how does that change our perspective and our experience? What would you want to know or see if you were here for the first time? What’s obvious and what’s confusing?

 

We invite you to respond to us by replying to this email or by using a notecard from the pew on Sunday.

 

 

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Sunday morning parking at the church is available in the high school parking lot on Third Street across from the church and in the city lots west of the church. These lots are available only on Sunday mornings. A small lot for handicapped parking is available just off of Adams Street on the north side of the church, with an accessible entrance directly into the sanctuary. A lift operates between the Fellowship Hall (3rd Street level) and the Sanctuary. William Sound System Receivers and Headsets are available to assist with hearing problems.

322 East Third Street
Moscow, ID 83843

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The First United Methodist Church of Moscow, Idaho takes as our mission to be the body of Jesus Christ, ministering to a community which draws strength from its diversity. Our mission centers on the worship of God, expressed through varied forms of prayer, preaching, music, and ritual.  See more...

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