On Sunday evening our congregation had our annual meeting in which three new deacons were elected, various reports were presented and discussed, and the 2021 Budget was also distributed. The meeting lasted a little over 2 hours, which is a long time, especially considering the fact there was not a halftime show or any entertaining commercials between the reports. Maybe we could think about adding those next year. Of course, we did sing a psalm at the beginning of our gathering and a couple of robust hymns in the middle and another at the end. I hear the musical interlude at the other event that evening was not too impressive. Singing Psalm 62 and And Can It Be with my brothers and sisters does more for my soul than any performance artist ever could, even if we sang without any pyrotechnics.
Someone asked me on Sunday morning if we deliberately scheduled our meeting to compete with the Super Bowl. This is a reasonable question, especially considering the fact this is not the first year the two events have fallen on the same evening. If memory serves, this has happened several times in the last few years. Maybe it is a legalistic, Presbyterian plot to ensure that our members must choose between faith and football. That would be more exciting than the actual explanation, which is that we try to have our Annual Meeting at the beginning of February each year because this gives us the time to prepare the budget, coordinate reports, and get past the First Stated Meeting of the Presbytery, and the Super Bowl does not usually enter our thinking when it comes to scheduling.
It turns out February 7th was also e-Day, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, National Fettuccine Alfredo Day, and National Send a Card to a Friend Day. I don’t mind missing the Super Bowl. It’s been several years since I have watched it, and if I had not been in an airport a couple of days prior, I am not sure I would have known what teams were even playing. But I am really disappointed the Session entirely omitted any acknowledgement of Fettuccine Alfredo Day. Serving memorial portions of the dish at the meeting might have secured an even greater turnout, and it certainly would have made the two hours more enjoyable. I am ashamed to admit I did not send a card to any of my friends yesterday either. It might be appropriate for the Session to consider some type of corporate repentance. We could begin by sending cards to all of the members inviting them to an Italian supper.
We have a Session composed of men who are largely indifferent to football. I am not aware of any particular antipathy toward the game of football among our elders--though I will admit that my views of the NFL are shaped by the fact I grew up in college football country, and my view of professional sports has not been improved by the widespread embrace of BLM and social justice causes among the institutions, broadcasters, and athletes. But the simple fact is that we did not consider that the Congregational Meeting was scheduled opposite the Super Bowl because we did not have the Super Bowl on our calendar. It wasn’t an act of resistance, just a conflict created by unawareness and indifference. Despite the conflict, we had terrific attendance by both members and visitors, good participation in some difficult discussions, and a spirit of love, unity, and mutual encouragement after the meeting adjourned. I hope the Super Bowl was entertaining this year, but I wasn’t sorry to miss it. This year’s meeting was a blessing, even if it involved discussing some hard providence. Maybe in future years we should rename the Annual Meeting our Super Meeting, but if we plan to do so, we really should serve fettuccine alfredo. --JME
