Pastor's Pen: God and the Luddite

The irony of the 21^st Century is that we are more connected than ever, yet we remain more and more isolated.  We can look at a smart phone and catch the news from the other side of the planet, yet the relationship with our neighbor consists only of a nod on the way to work.  At the grocery store, I appreciate the convenience of the automated check-out, but listening to the mechanical voice, I wonder if I’m missing something.  While living in the fifth largest city in the U.S., we can actually make it through the day without talking to an actual human being. 

An interesting exercise for the modern family is to count screens.  If I count everything from televisions, laptops, or even hand-held games, there are many more screens than people in my home.  Each one beckons me away from interacting with the people with whom I live and love.  Even the promise of social media is fleeting.  It can certainly enhance existing relationships.  However, the same Facebook page which shares baby pictures with a grandparent can also speed up a marital break-up. 

In the 19^th Century, textile artisans in England protested against the technical changes of the industrial revolution by destroying mechanized looms.  The Luddites feared that a way of life was passing away.  They had legitimate fears, but their actions were violent and ineffectual.  For the modern Luddite, there are plenty of fears in our brave new world.  We live in a media bubble of our own design.  We listen only to the voices that we want.  This isolation can lead to loneliness or even the inability to interact with someone who disagrees.  I don’t suspect that there will be pickets outside the Apple Store any time soon, and frankly, I like this age of communication and instantaneous information.  How then do we respond?

God has already given a response:  Pentecost.  After the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus, the disciples were gathered together.  Suddenly, a violent wind blew through the place.  The Holy Spirit settled upon them making the disciples one body of believers.  By God’s action, the Church became a reality.  However, the Church was never meant to be another interest group isolated from the rest of the world.  Pilgrims visiting Jerusalem from all over the known world noticed the commotion.  From the disciples of Jesus Christ, they suddenly heard God’s praises each one in his or her own language. 

Pentecost affirmed God’s observation back in Genesis, “It is not good for man (or woman) to be alone.”  Jesus’ life and ministry demand that the Church must be focused outward.  We are called to love God and to love neighbor.  As society or technology attempts to pull people apart, we are ministers of reconciliation.  That might mean using an e-mail to encourage a friend, or it might mean turning off the computer to care physically for another.  We reject the loneliness, and take interest in the people around us.  Together, we might hear God’s praises in our own language.

Grace & Peace,

James

Shine-Up Saturdays

The following is an article by Alan Abel from our church's centennial book, Our Heritage, Our Life, written in 2007.  The article is a history of Shine-up Saturdays.

In the late 1980s, with a relatively small congregation for such a large facility, it became increasingly clear that we could not afford to hire professionals to do things that we could do ourselves. Mission, Christian Education, and other areas of our church life should not be cut back because of unnecessary maintenance bills. Trustee George Sargent (who had an engineering degree) organized volunteers to help at that time. Then, in 1991, George coined the phrase "Shine-Up Saturday," which is still with us today.

Over the years, at least 80 church members have given of their time and skills on the average of eight to ten Saturdays a year. A few of those have died, some are now too old to work, and others have moved from the area, but we still have a solid core of workers. It is also encouraging that so many of our new members have expressed an interest in Shine-Up Saturdays.

Some of the activities over the years have included grass seeding, grass cutting, lawn aerating, shrub and tree planting, pruning, general landscaping, leaf raking, gutter cleaning, and sidewalk and driveway sweeping. Outside doors have been polyurethaned or painted several times.

Almost every room, closet, or storage First Presbyterian Church of Ardmore area in the church (maybe. 45-50 in all) has been painted once, twice, or three times in the last 16 years. (Only the sanctuary, chapel, fellowship hall, or some high places have been left for the professional painters.) To add to the typical painting preparation was washing, scraping, sanding, caulking, spackling, undercoating, and then applying one to four coats of paint in the church building. More of the same was done on the three floors of the Parish House.

Mechanical activity included floor tile installation and the building of various storage racks, shelves, work tables, banner holders, and many other carpentry repairs. Housekeeping chores included washing, scrubbing, sweeping, and vacuuming and the organization and reorganization of voluminous numbers of closets, shelves, and storage areas. There have been multiple trips to the dump with major clean-ups of trash and unusable items. As grueling as some of these jobs were, there was the added benefit of newfound friendships, camaraderie, and fun.

From the beginning, my wife Janet, supplied lunch to this hearty group of volunteers.  Sandwiches, potato chips, soda, water, tea, and countless banana segments and cookies were served at least 128 times over the years. For me, the real challenge has been trying to match the work assignments to the volunteers' interests and expertise while running from one end of the church to the other with supplies and, hopefully, the correct answers to many questions. The end result of our work has been worth every minute of the efforts put forth by many devoted church members.

This Saturday, April 21, 2012, we are looking for volunteers for an all-church Shine-up.  This will be a great time for someone who has never attended to be a part of the the fun.  Everyone is invited.  Come for an hour or come all day.  Lunch will be provided.