Q & A 9

Q: Where did you get the idea for "No Perfect People Allowed?" I went to a church that has the same slogan, though it is older.

A: I got it from a book by that title written by John Burke. Our logo was from the cover of the book and was used with permission. Burke's book is written to Christian leaders and is about creating a "come as you are" culture in the church. His church is in Austin, TX. I'm not sure where he got the phrase from (I don't think he coined it), but I really like the book and the work they're doing down there. At our Board and Elder retreat on Saturday, we watched a talk given by Burke (on DVD) on the topic of his book. Very powerful.

Q & A 8

Q: Will we ever sing the Doxology in association with the offering?

A: Probably not. But as a side note, the church of my youth did that. I started going to church in fourth grade. I thought the Doxology was a mix of English and Latin since I could only discern some words and the others seemed to be in another language. I think I was confused about that for several years, all the way into junior high! I'm afraid the familiarity of singing it with the offering every week made for slurring of the words together, and I can still remember the cadence of the way we sang it. I suspect very few were thinking about the meaning.

That's not why we probably won't ever do it,though. The reason, in part, is in answer to a question I would ask: "Why would we ever sing the Doxology in association with the offering?"  I can't think of any reason why. It's a great song--at least the words are great when you understand them :)--but given our style of worship, I'm not sure it would fit or make good sense (aside from raising some feelings of nostalgia in people like me).

Here are the words for those who are wondering:

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.