Harbor
55 First Parish Road, Scituate, MA 02066
Marshfield
185 Plain Street, Marshfield, MA 02050
Reverend Rick McKinley is also available by appointment
Volume 59, Issue 11
Hey church,
Let’s face it - church is odd, peculiar. Oh, it’s not so odd for those of us who have been part of
“church” for a while, but for folks who haven’t been part of church for a while, or maybe never, church is
odd. And if they attend a church like ours, it’s a little more peculiar. We all sit in rows (on hard benches,
mind you) and from time to time we get up - then we sit down - and then we get up - and sit down. And
we sing. I have to tell you, there’s not a lot of singing going on out there in the world - at least not in one
big group. Most people just listen to music. If they sing, it’s usually when they are riding in their car -
alone. Or they’re at a Red Sox game (...Sweet Caroline, oh, oh, oh).
Then there’s the reputation issue. We’ve talked about this before, but as we head into the
“holiday” season, it’s good to be reminded. People who don’t regularly come to church resist coming be-
cause of what they are afraid they might encounter. Judgment. Awkwardness. You just don’t know
where people are coming from and what their experience has been when it comes to church. And they
think we’re odd. So how we respond when a visitor arrives is really, really important.
Like the story I just read in a book called “Less clutter, less noise” about a man who regularly at-
tends church. He sat down behind a family with a teenage boy playing his Game Boy. As the service
started, he became irritated that the boy continued to play his game. The longer the service went on and
the boy kept playing, the more agitated the man became. It was on mute but still distracting and un-
nerving. He was just about to lean forward to ask the boy to put the game away when something caused
him to stop. He waited a few minutes, leaned forward, tapped the boy on the shoulder, and said,
“I’ve got the guide with all the moves to be