Week 2: Communion and Bible Study

This past Sunday was my first time ever blessing the communion elements and it was cool! I've struggled to find the right words to describe it. There is something that happens in saying the words of institution and then offering that bread and wine to the congregation that is so much beyond my actions.

And this congregation seems to be HUNGRY for life-giving food. They hang on my every word when I preach (hopefully it's not always because they're trying to understand me!). While I prefer to be brief and risk saying too little than saying too much, I think I might need to preach longer in order to feed them more (and in order for children's Sunday school, which occurs at the same time, to have more time!).

In order to avoid the mistakes I made last week, the dirigidora del servicio (a.k.a., liturgist) took it upon herself to make sure there was a printed order of worship besides the PowerPoint. I had also printed out one with the same goal in mind, but I only made one copy and never got it back from her. She helped more by appointing her husband to say the prayer over the offering, so that I couldn't forget it. I did still pronounce the benediction before the announcements - believe it or not, there's no space for announcements in the order of worship in the hymnal and after communion I was just following the end of the service as outlined, having completely forgotten about the PowerPoint and having lost my printed copy.

I felt much more in my element Monday night when we resumed the weekly bible study. Teaching and facilitating bible studies are church activities I'm used to doing, unlike preaching and presiding at the table. We did a short study I put together and then I presented them with four options for how to proceed next with the weekly study. I hope I didn't influence them too much, but they picked my favorite option - Discipulado (or Disciple bible study in Spanish)! Eight of the ten folks who came said they could commit to doing it, a commitment which I had worried about beforehand would turn people off from the study (it's 34 weeks with daily reading to prepare for the weekly group gathering). THEN I talked with my District Superintendent the next morning AND she said there are funds in the District specifically marked for Disciple bible study!! I was wondering how we were going to be able to afford the study, but God had already provided!!!