Wow, was there commotion in the common area at church Sunday morning.
 
Church member Richard Malnati and I manned the CROP Walk table in the lobby of the Parish Life Building – recruiting walkers for the October 4 event, signing up pledges and talking about the need to do something about world hunger. On the way to and from worship and Sunday School, folks stopped to study our brochures and listen to our “preaching.”

A few yards away, church member Rosie Rogers was pushing the contemporary Christian concert that’s bringing 33 Miles to Jubilee Hall on October 9. For the musically uninitiated, 33 Miles is a hot, new band. The Providence Sunday School class is putting on the show to raise money for its outreach efforts. Rosie was happy to let you listen to a bit of the band’s CD, adding to the Sunday morning energy.

To the right of the front door is the bin in which folks regularly place canned goods for local food pantries. Pretty much every time you walk through the lobby on the way to somewhere at Myers Park United Methodist Church you will walk past a mountain of peanut butter.

Next to the food bin Sunday was something new: Several bags stuffed with women’s clothing. The Martha Circle for women in their 60s and up is collecting for Crisis Assistance Ministry.

Next to the food and clothing bins Sunday was another new project: Hygiene kits for Haiti. Our medical mission team headed to Bayonnais on that impoverished land will take with them toiletries wrapped in wash cloths. On the first official day of the effort, a dozen or more kits had been dropped into the box.

On the other side of the door, a big yellow bin was already loaded down with new and used books for Habitat for Humanity. Habitat sells them at its re-store to raise money for its work building affordable homes. Small world: We’ve had a table in the lobby for the past few weeks promoting our latest Habitat build, the 14th Habitat house this congregation has built. The brochures soliciting volunteers are still in the lobby, not far from where Rosie and Richard were overseeing their tables.

I’m telling you, it was so hectic in our lobby Sunday you barely had time to get to the Sanctuary on time to sing Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus and reflect on how best to serve God in this world.