Last week saw the return of the staff meeting! Jeff and I sat down and spent about 4 hours planning and working on the coming year at SFC. One of the new things we’ll be doing is an emergent worship experience on Wednesday nights once a month. We both have missed the creative worship we led when we lived in Boise, so we’re trying it out here. As part of the long term planning around worship we’re brainstorming places we could gather in the future as needed, such as in an area church or a local business. This is because we are at 40 potential participants. These are people and their families who come frequently enough that they would be called constituents in a traditional church, if not members.
Our home is lovely, and while it fits us for brunch and dinner if everyone came to one event we’d be a little squished. This is not necessarily a problem. We’re a group that laughs and makes do, so being tight around the altar would work. The problem comes in creating a space that is welcoming to the people God is sending to us in a week or a month or a year.
In more than one training, book, and class I’ve learned about the psychology of space. Folks need to feel like there is room for them within a gathering, group, or institution. In worship the stat I’ve heard is that there needs to be about 20% open seats for a new person to feel like there is enough room. And this does not count the front row if your churches have been like mine.
This means in our home we’d need to set up 50 chairs so that if everyone came there would still be 20% space. Of course all the same books talk about the psychology of too much space. If a space feels too empty then it gives the impression that the gathering is dying or not lively enough. So what if we set up 50 chairs and only 10 people came?
And this is the game we play even as we set up meals. Based on who we think is coming how do we create enough space for us and for those who are new to us without feeling like it’s sad the table is empty when we have a low attended meal. Most weeks it’s divine inspiration coupled with the quick hands of our leaders as they set up an extended table.
I’m thankful for this beautiful home that allows us to host such a variety of gatherings. I’m thankful for the people who are part of of this community. I’m thankful for the people who God is sending on their way to us. And I’m thankful for the potential to grow in new ways.
-Eilidh
| Dinner with a full table, luckily we can add 3 more card tables to this as needed! |
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