Word from Wiese

RSVP

RSVP?

October 7, 2020

In these weekly messages to you, my faith friends connected to Christ Our Shepherd, I’ve enjoyed covering a wide variety of topics, including scripture passages, keeping our spirits up, inspiring people, opportunities to be part of racial reconciliation, and beyond.

But today my spade turns new earth. Today let’s have a little fun talking about the concept of “RSVP.” In addition to Latin, I took a year of French in high school. Drinking way too much Mountain Dew growing up probably impaired my memory cells. But I recall that our RSVP stands for the French phrase, “repondez vous, s’il vous plait” or “respond, if you please” to our invitation.

Enunciating “repondez vous, s’il vous plait” sounds charming or even romantic. Over the years, maybe we’ve turned to this beautiful phrase to ameliorate for what, to many people, is a less-than-fun activity of signing up for an event. We don’t like to do it. That’s why we love on-demand TV so much. Unlike the olden days requiring us to tune in to a specific time and date, now we can access our shows whenever we want. Frazzled church staff members are legendary for reporting they don’t know how to plan for an event because registrations are so slow coming in. COS and America alike do not rank “signing up” as one of their favorite activities.

Sometimes, the RSVP request seems to make sense:

  • The U.S. election is less than a month away. All voters were asked to pre-register or RSVP to justify their upcoming voting. But Americans debate how stringent the registration process should be.
  • COS holds its next community Blood Drive on Friday, Oct. 23. Yesterday, I went to the website to register for a 1 PM appointment to donate. Drop-ins are allowed, but the Red Cross says registrations help them prepare the correct number of supplies and personnel.
  • My wife and mom are sensational hostesses. When it comes to special dinners or parties, they are dynamite. But while there is always wiggle room at the table for a last-minute invitee, they are pretty clear they’d like to know ahead of time the specific numbers of guests for which to prepare. Same thing for those throwing wedding receptions.
  • When traveling through Montana when the kids were little, we were told by a motel that reservations weren’t needed. But when we arrived late that night there were no rooms left and my wife was ill-pleased. It’s always a major bummer when we show up at a restaurant or an event to learn that there are no tables or tickets left.

Yet admittedly, sometimes the process of RSVPing is burdensome. We’ve all been there. We’re not sure of our schedules and availability. In some settings, it feels “off-putting” and “less-than-welcoming” for a church, restaurant, or even friends throwing a party to want a commitment. It takes a few extra steps and extra time. It can be a nuisance.

Everyone has their opinion and the goal of this mid-week note is not to change them. But in the spirit of quality communication, according to the COS Moving Forward Team that the church council charged to develop guidelines for in-person worship, here are the good hopes of asking people to register for our weekly worship services:

  1. Like preparing for Thanksgiving, an RSVP list makes sure we have the food and seats ready. Currently we’ve greenlighted “in person” worship for up to 50 people. We appreciate so much people desiring to worship that we want them to be guaranteed a seat and we will make sure communion kits are ready for them.
  2. Taking care of each other in love is a priority. By ensuring a safe number of participants, we maximize health and safety as we guarantee the ability to sit at the recommended distance. In the registration process, there are some helpful guidelines quickly shared that help verify our mutual health and safety. We never want it to be said of COS that the way we oversaw worship caused one of our faith family suffering or grief.
  3. This has not happened yet, but if bad luck strikes and one of our worshipers shares that they tested positive for Covid 19, then we can use the registration list as a tool to contact all who were present.

Now how about a little Q&A to wrap things up?

Q: How do I register for the 11 AM in- person traditional worship service?
A: Go to www.coslutheran.org. On the front page, there is a blue banner you click.

Q: What if I register but then can’t come?
A: No problem. Life happens. No worries.

Q: What if I’m having trouble registering online?
A: Give the office (770-487-8717) or me (770-880-2069) a call. We’ll be more than glad to take care of it for you.

Q: What if I forgot to register but would like to come to worship?
A: Come! There is always a chance that we will have reached our weekly maximum, but we will do our very best to accommodate you. Most weeks there have been a few extra spots available so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Q: What happens when COS has more than 50 people who would like to attend in person worship?
A: Great question. We hope that Covid case numbers in Georgia decline to the point that more people feel safe to worship. The staff is talking about various scenarios to accommodate that positive possibility.

Q: Are many Lutheran churches conducting in person worship like COS?
A: Based on my connection via an email group with other pastors of larger Lutheran congregations across our country, it’s about 50-50. Most all churches seem to be offering either prerecorded or streamed services like COS. But only about half have come into their sanctuaries again. Some have enjoyed drive-in parking lot services. But since many Lutheran churches exist in the cold country, they worry about what they’ll do as outside temps dip.

Q: What if I would like to come but just feel that my health concerns preclude me from attending?
A: As you know, we have been so blessed with Bill Porter, whom we have just hired in the newly created position of Director of Technology for Worship and Presentation. Thanks to Bill’s efforts and that of the whole staff and resourceful lay people, we are now streaming both our traditional and contemporary worship services. Not many congregations can say that. We are blessed. Plus we enjoy the option of worshiping outside in the fresh air of Palmetto Road on the first and third Wednesdays of the month as the weather holds. Of course, we’re also blessed with the Facebook Live Devotions each Wednesday evening and the Friday Fellowship of Worship & Praise Musical at 2 PM. None of these worship/devotional opps require reservations!

Faith friends, thanks for reading and pondering with me the pros and cons of “RSVPing” or “registering.” Scripture tells us that the whole reason Joseph and Mary traveled to Jerusalem was to “register” for the census. What a process that was! No thanks. But with “no room at the inn,” I bet they wish they could have called ahead for a reservation.

In closing, I encourage you to ponder how you let God and each other know of your intentions. Sometimes in life it’s so nice just to show up, to be welcomed whatever the situation, to surprise and be surprised. Likewise, in other moments, there is power in making a decision, in letting God and those around us know clearly where we stand and how we feel, and helping a community work strategically together. Thanks for living nimbly in the power of both.

Registering my hopes in Christ with you,
Pastor Fritz