Dear Friends,
I worked as the office manager for a small church in Lincoln Square while I was in seminary. Similar to our congregation, the church was small but mighty--advocating for care for the homeless individuals in the community, raising funds to fight disease in under-resourced communities, and promoting fair trade throughout Lincoln Square. The church office was in the basement which was filled with memorabilia from the church’s past. One of my favorite pieces of history was a handmade poster from the early 70’s announcing Rally Day. I liked it so much that I hung it over my desk.
Rally Day has historically been the day in which the church community begins the new program year. A new year of Sunday School starts as everyone moves up a grade and other programs begin again. For a church our size, Rally Day can seem like a relic or, perhaps, a pointless name for just another Sunday.
I don’t think that’s true, though. We may not be starting another year of Sunday School, but, friends, we are rallying. I can feel it in my bones.
This Sunday marks the beginning of weekly in-person worship services. Our Pastoral Intern, Anna, is organizing a new book group. We will be gathering together as a community over the next few months to plan for the holidays and beyond, such as the annual Turkey Drive and new ways to support Family Matters,
We are rallying after a year and a half of anxiety and fear. We are rallying after a crash course in discovering new ways to be the church. We are rallying after personal losses and losses in our community. We are rallying to say that we are, indeed, still here.
We are still a congregation that cares about one another and cares about the world around us.
When we come together on Sunday, we will not be the congregation we we before the pandemic started in March 2020. We will not be the congregation we were a decade ago or fifty years ago when Sunday School classes filled the space. But we are still the Church and there is still good and necessary and sacred work to be done.
To rally means to recover in health and spirit. In the old Southern Baptist church I grew up in, we might call it a revival. In the progressive Christian circles I am now a part of, we might call it a sacred act of resistance. We are still here and we are ready to bring new life to the ministry in which we have each been called--joining the Holy in the ongoing recovery in health and spirit of ourselves, our neighbors, and the world around us.
Beloved, let us rally.
Grace and peace,
Rob
Stumbling Upon the House of God
Thanks to everyone who has sent me pictures and videos of the places where they’ve stumbled upon the house of God. Here are a few of the places where members of our community have seen a glimpse of the Holy here and now.
Donna Ramlow looking out her back window.
Monica and John Geocaris celebrating with their family.
Keep the pictures coming! I will continue to share pictures of the spaces and places where we’ve stumbled upon the house of God through the next few weeks.
Join Us for Worship
Everyone is invited to join us in the CCW Sanctuary this Sunday morning at 10:00 am for worship as we celebrate Rally Day and share together stories of when we’ve rallied--those times in our lives when we’ve faced the worst and moved forward and also when we’ve leaned on the care of others to get through.
Music will be led by CCW Music Director Winifred Brown and guest musician Janis Sakai.
We are continuing to request that everyone wears a mask in the sanctuary during worship. After worship, cookies and lemonade will be available in the CCW lawn.
To watch the service live online via Zoom, please click on the button below or go to our website at www.ccwilmette.org and follow the link at the top of the homepage.