The following was purportedly found on the desk of a beleaguered associate pastor responsible for men’s ministry.
Memo to: Self
Re: Quarterly evaluation of men’s fellowship meetings-by topic, format, and time offered.
What worked:
Preferred topic-the rambling religious analogies from a former all-conference basketball player who played pro ball for two years in Italy.
Favorite format-twenty minutes of shootin’ the breeze, followed by lots and lots of barbecued ribs.
Best time-Saturday morning at 7 A.M. A little early for ribs, but no one seemed to mind.
What didn’t:
The topic-“The Gospel of John: Its Interrelationship with the Essene Community.”
Format-ninety minutes of mime and interpretive dance, followed by sharing over a salad-bar lunch.
Time-5 P.M. on Super Bowl Sunday (though the guys wearing a Walkman didn’t seem to mind).
Comments:
Despite what we learned in seminary from Dr. Walker-Jones, our group may not be ready for a more introspective and artistic approach to Bible study. This would be especially true of the men who told the mimes to try a new routine, “Throw the clown into the bleu cheese dressing.” Suggest next quarter we go with the vaguely positive message from a guy who nearly made the cut with the Mets’s farm team, and postpone Dr. W-J’s presentation, “Lamentations and You: Writing Your Own Poetry.”
-Dan Taylor
Olathe, Kansas
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