High school graduations are this week, and many schools are holding their final classes. By this weekend, the Closed for Summer Vacation” signs will be up. There will be a few weeks of summer school for remedial help, but for schools and houses of worship, the summer is here. Sigh of relief.While there are some congregations with the tenacity, plus volunteers and staff willing to keep going, most gladly welcome going into lower gear. Choirs thin out after Easter and choir lofts often go empty all summer. The weekend worship bulletin is growing sparse with planned programs, and meeting rooms and classrooms are apt to stand empty. College students and faculty are conspicuously missing in the pews.
These weekends, Sunday school teachers are getting their thank-you presents and being recognized at worship services. They’re cleaning their rooms and taking down bulletin boards. Graduating seniors are being recognized and told good-bye by the congregation, and confirmation classes are wnding down in anticipation of Pentecost and receipt into membership — if that is their denominations tradition.
While faith never takes a vacations, the faithful do. And dont try to stop them.
In Arizona especially, faith communities know all to well the challenges from late May to early September.
“I’m gonna be gone from ….” are the first words out of the mouths of committee members in the best organized committees. July is usually a meeting write-off. Excused absences are routine for major boards for meetings in the summer months.
Where churches have more than one pastor, the clergy map out their weeks gone and whos got the weekends and the visitations covered. Where there is one pastor, theres creative scheduling to trade with pastors in other churches or arrange for retired pastors or lay members to fill the pulpits. The search goes on, as well, for musicians and organists and lay leaders to fill the key roles in services. Substitutes for ushers and refreshments folks are needed. Finding volunteers can be a challenge. A lot of compromising goes on.
Some church members themselves fall into an all-summer vacation mindset and aren’t seen until September.
Churches that still have vacation Bible schools manage to agree on a week for their activities. But they know that whatever week they choose, there will be key families who can’t participate in VBS because of a sister’s wedding that week in Missouri, the time-share is only available that week, or it is the only week open for vacation between summer swim lessons and baseball.
Church camps and distant work projects give some folks religious adventure. Youth groups will have summer swim parties. Back-to-school drives for the needy will stir some congregational energy.
As the oppressing heat torments church roofs, as office hours are cut for the summer, as volunteers call church members and get only answering machines, may everyone know that, holy cow, its summer and everyone needs a break.
Amen brother. Rest is good for the soul and I am very glad that I am part of a church that values family time and rest. It’s not what I can say about the church we left. They drove you into “burnout”. If you were part of a ministry team, you were expected to be at the church anytime the doors were open. Not the way it should be in my opinion.
i love your blog, keep it going.