Church Hop Observations – part 4

Another Sunday with a shift; another Sunday Church hop.

I’m guessing this was a denominational church, but am not entirely sure. It was a larger gathering of believers than the previous groups I’ve worshipped with in these parts. I visited knowing that some of the people in the church would recognize me – the church had sent a team of 21 on a mission trip last summer and had flown on Cape Air out of Hagerstown. With all the logistics of arranging for three aircraft to take them all (each only has 9 seats) and all the other travel details, we’d gotten to know each other. So, sure enough, upon my entrance to the sanctuary, I was greeted by name. It was nice to experience the same welcome that I attempt to give each of the guests at Cape Air.

I figured a country church that sent a group to Nicaragua and has plans to send three groups in the coming months to Guatemala, Costa Rica and Nicaragua must be of the Antioch blood line. I was still surprised to find a church that still has mission moments in the Sunday service, given from the pulpit! I haven’t seen those much in the churches I’ve visited or frequent over more than a decade; chopped from the line up under the guise of time constraints and relevance to the entire body. The mistake the church has made is not finding other outlets through which to channel the same information. Instead, it’s just been pushed out of the way and in many respects, forgotten. In my experience at least.

And why does it seem the church is so hung up on drawing a definitive line between infant dedication and baptism? Ministers go to great lengths preceding a dedication to clarify and define what is taking place, specifically stating that it is NOT a baptism. What is driving the hang-up on this issue? I guess I need to keep visiting churches until I find one that does an actual baptism.

I know of one church that sprinkles babies in the “Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” but specifically defines their exercise as a dedication and not having any effect on the child’s relationship with Christ; it’s just a dedication with a towel prerequisite.

I’m just curious as to what is driving the overemphasizing.

One of the it-comes-with-the-job elements of being employed in a church as I was previously, is having to conduct business on your day of Worship. I tried to fight it early on in my career and finally accepted that it came with the territory and found ways to channel it without disrupting my focus and attention during Worship moments. Well, if I’m honest with myself, okay, maybe not consistently, but from time to time. Having a business relationship with some in today’s congregation deja-vu-ed me back to my church employment days when, as soon as the postlude had ended, my acquaintance launched into the next steps needed for their upcoming missions trip; it was like riding a bike.

Another Sunday Church hop, another hour plus with fellow believers. I continue to savor these opportunities to be exposed to the greater church and to meet my Savior with different people in different places.

Maybe I’ll share some of the other channels I’ve thought of to help the local church remain connected with outreach in the Judea, Samaria and Ends of the Earth.

Saying Good-bye Before You’re Ready

So the 10PM time slot NBC intended NOT to fill with a drama that turned into THE melo-drama of early 2010 came to a close last night as Conan O’Brien completed his 7-month stint as host of The Tonight Show. NBC ratings will recede to their previous less than acceptable levels. Ho hum.

I’m fascinated that one chair, a single position, would be so cherished, yet so quickly traded for cash. We will never known, but if, and that would’ve been an astronomical IF, Conan had accepted being bumped to second fiddle to Jay Leno, AGAIN, would he, Conan, eventually been returned to the Tonight Show Host position that he supposedly so cherished? A humbling move, yeah, I’d say so. But, if The Tonight Show was so valuable, wouldn’t it have been worth it? If it had been the dream of a lifetime, even though you’ve hit the pinnacle for the last seven months, wouldn’t you want it bad enough that you’d be willing to wait it out again to get it back?

I mean, the lack of ratings for Jay’s 10PM show is what precipitated the debacle, who’s to say that Leno’s previous Tonight Show audience will return now that he’s been out of that slot for the past 7 months? They didn’t bale Jay out at 10PM, maybe they’ll leave him hanging at 11:35. It’s not that far out a concept. Or, who knows what Leno’s career plans are at this point. Then again, Charles has been waiting decades for his chair and we all know how well that’s going for him.

We’ll never know other than, Mr. O’Brien will always be able to list Host-The Tonight Show on his resume but it’ll only read September 2009-January 2010.

I could relate to Conan’s closing comments.

Church Hop Observations – part 3

Some denominations find commonality in leadership hierarchy. Others through distinct doctrine or practices. Some from both. Few happen to mention the denominational similarity of church building structures, but there are distinct edifices that I’m able to associate with specific church denominations. I was in one just this week; if you’ve been in one of their buildings, you’ve been in them all.

My pre-planning failed me again, but instead of having to leave early from this service, I was late arriving. Fortunately, recognizing the building type from the outset, I had a hunch where I could sneak in with the least disruption to the service and find my seat. Some of the nicest, cushy-est stackable chairs I’ve ever sat on, I might add.

The body of believers assembled this morning appeared to be between 50-60. I was the only one wearing a neck tie from what I could tell – I’m not holy or anything, it is work attire. Casually dressed the group looked to be mature-late adults, a lot of gray and bald heads. Cookie-cutter: electric guitar, drums, LCD projected song slides. The worship song in which we were led with strong electric guitar lines who’s lyrics I recalled from one of my Petra albums specifically caught my attention. The words were solid, but the accompaniment didn’t seem to match the congregation unless they were closet Grateful Dead fans. No one threw rotten tomatoes or anything, but it didn’t seem to fit to this first time observer.

As I’ve reflected on the worship, my mind was drawn back to the metaphor of the sheep and their shepherd. It would seem that this church, like maybe others, is wanting to shepherd sheep that aren’t in their fold yet rather than focusing on shepherding the sheep that are already in their fold.

The church is looking to shed it’s current property holdings. No mention was made as to where they’d be meeting if their current talks proceed, though the logical assumption would be a downsize in facility as to an upgrade. The message, based on 1 Corinthians emphasized the unity of the body and being foolish in man’s eyes in exchange for God’s wisdom. One application was connected to the recent history of this body, implying that they’ve had some challenges in recent years. Interesting what can be deduced from but a few comments. I was challenged to consider areas in my own life in which I need to consider accepting being foolish in man’s perspective.

Hopping has it’s place. I’d like to find a satellite body with which I can fellowship each Sunday I find myself in these parts for as long as I’m on my Cape Air assignment. Can’t say I’ve connected with a group that I’ve identified with the full extent that I’d like as of yet, but I’ve seen many faces and made the acquaintance of others with whom I expect to spend eternity.

Church Hop Observations – part 2

It’s interesting having the internet to try and get a sense about a church before you attend. Thus far, the internet sites haven’t been nearly as helpful as I’d have hoped. At least they give good directions.

My second hop landed me at a local Christian School building. I’ve worshipped in many a school facility before and in most of those setups, the cafeteria or gym was used as the worship space. So I was caught a little off guard when I entered the main doors to find the worship space arranged in the main entrance/lobby area of the school. Though I didn’t have any notion to do so, any quick exit out the back door would be hardly accomplished unnoticed.

I was greeted almost instantly upon entry and welcomed and greeted several other times pre-service; a friendly bunch they were, or maybe it was just obvious that they had a guest present that morning. I appreciated the gesture and the sincerity of their outstretched handshakes. One does tire after a while of answering the same questions repeatedly and essentially having the same conversation in quick succession.

The group of about 50 assembled to worship that morning were led by a small group of instrumentalists – piano, guitar, viola and two violins. I was particularly impressed by the elderly violinist who looked to be 80+; always encouraging to see faithful men/women of God serving in their own unique ways until God deems their assignments complete.

I’m quite comfortable in smaller groups as it’s the environment I was in growing up. Church was our living room and the congregation, well, technically it was a Bible study on Sunday mornings, either way, we numbered maybe 10-15 in the early days with Mom, Dad, my brother and our house helper making up 5 of that number. What caught my attention about this body of believers was how little lay participation was exhibited during the service; maybe it’s a young and growing group of believers.

I was encouraged by the teenager who shared his talent in worship during the offertory. Nervous as can be and still picking up the nuances of public performance, he started over after some early mistakes etc., but recognizing what such things are truly about, one bringing what gifts they have in worship and praise to God, was refreshing. It’s one of the faults to which larger churches can fall prey; overemphasizing the performance and thereby robbing someone of the opportunity to present their gifts of praise to God.

At the conclusion of the message, we celebrated communion. Noteworthy that within a matter of a few weeks, I’ve celebrated communion multiple times. After attending churches that made a practice of celebrating communion monthly, and usually on the first Sunday of each month, for the past decade or more, I’ve attended churches that celebrate the Last Supper but a few times a year. For me, the infrequency has not made those few celebrations more rich. I much prefer to take communion regularly. I value the personal time of introspection as to my spiritual state and focus on Christ’s death it affords.

Unfortunately, I misjudged my time allowance this week. With a 10:45 service time and my shift start time of 12:30, I thought I could pull it off. But in the end I had to duck out early. I hated to do so for fear it would give the appearance that I didn’t enjoy worshipping with them or that my premature departure would be misinterpreted in some other way.

I was impressed with the body of believers desire to assist their common man for the sake of Christ.

Hop number 3 found me at a cookie cutter.

Church Hop Observations – part 1

Since spending 5 days a week working in Hagerstown and graciously rotating weekends with my co-workers, I’ve had legitimate reasons to Church hop of late. It’s actually a fun exercise for me as I make acquaintances with people that we’ll presumably be spending eternity. Kinda fun to put it in that light, isn’t it? Having studied church, played church and worked church for most of my life, I enjoy seeing and experiencing the variety within the body of Christ. So I’ve set out to visit some of the churches in the Hagerstown, MD area.

My first visit featured a sanctuary of maybe 30-40, most of the female attenders wore head coverings and remained silent for the duration of the service except for the a-cappella congregational singing. Male attenders shared as they were led either in prayer, through scripture reading or sharing Biblical lessons they’d learned throughout the week. I had to be publicly acknowledged as a believer before the congregation.

We celebrated communion together. The bread was taken from a full loaf, torn in two by hand and what I consider the standard approach to the distribution of the cup.

In a group that size, with no accompaniment, you quickly come to appreciate the ability to hide your voice by blending in with the crowd. Even more so, without an instrument to guide your note selection, it’s an exposed experience. We’d probably all be choir-worthy if we sang in that type of setting since childhood.

I wondered what the church would do if a female walked-in off the street to participate sans head covering. I learned, post-service, that such attire is not a requirement for worship, but you’d be one of the few, if not the only one “uncovered”. Like the fancy restaurants, there are a few head coverings available for guests if they’d so choose.

I also wondered about the leftover communion bread, a whole loaf left plenty leftover with only 30-40 partaking after all. I learned that, at least most recently, the left over loaf was fed to the farmer’s pigs. Though it wasn’t ever in doubt, this was definitive confirmation as to the church’s stance on transubstantiation.

Most of these things weren’t new to me as I’d experienced them in services at one time or another. Aside from the minor amusements, I enjoyed my fellowship with this body of believers. They love God and through God’s love, they care about the people in their community. Their preferences differ from my tastes, but I could learn to worship with them on a regular basis if it was all that was available.

From one week with no instruments and 30-40 voices, to my next hop with violins and close to 50. I’ll talk about that, next time.

Customer Service – It’s Personal

Effective customer service begins and ends with the forging of an acquaintance upon which a business transfer occurs. If I take a moment to introduce myself and engage in minor small talk with my customer before proceeding with the purpose for that moment’s business, nine times out of ten, it will reap positive dividends. That initial moment of contact is an opportunity ripe for the taking. If I seize it by showing my interest in the customer as a human being right from the top, it, if not subtly, very blatantly, emphasizes their importance in my priority list and the focus of my attention, namely, them. To my advantage, in my line of work and situation, I usually know the customer’s name even before they step in the door. This little touch is welcomed surprise to most of my guests as they least expect it and it appears to make them feel important to walk into an airport and be greeted by name.

But that short little introduction cannot be minimized. It’s important for me that they know that they’re important. It’s important to me that we make an acquaintance. I want them to know my name and I want to know theirs. For the next hour or more, I’m serving them and want to be able to do so on a first name basis. If this will be our only passing on this earth, I want it to be fun for both of us. Regular passengers, it provides an opportunity for a quick catch-up – How was your last trip? Did you make it to the bowl game?

I find that if you can establish even the slightest acquaintance, maybe even a borderline friendship, the customer will understand that I’m on their side and will be doing everything I can to serve their needs. This is especially huge when we’re unable to meet their expectations, for if I succeeded in winning them over initially, they’ll likely be less antagonistic when I have to tell them their flights been cancelled. Because, having a relationship now established, one, they’ll know I’m doing and will continue to do everything I can to help them out. Two, they know that they can talk straight with me and that I’ll be talking straight with them. It’s personal.

But in the few times that things have gone awry, the personal nature of this exchange can be uncomfortable. For when you’re the sole company employee serving a particular group and one customer for whatever reason decides they don’t like you, and you have to spend the next hour or more serving them, it can get colder than an early winter snap in the Mid-Atlantic. There are no, “let me have you talk to my supervisor” outlets behind which one can hide (especially when you ARE the manager). Nor are their other co-workers to whom you can hand off. No, it’s you and you only and it’s personal. The customer sees it as something you did, that was your error and is pointing the finger at you. Though you may be abiding by company policy, the company’s presence is non-existent, let along irrelevant. No, when it goes bad, it’s personal and that’s uncomfortable. And try as one might, the available solutions become fewer and fewer and the rights and wrongs of the matter are equally not worth the effort or the argument. What are regularly win-wins, every once in a while come up lose-lose. In those instances, the sooner that flight gets on its way to Baltimore, probably the better since that’s the customer’s bottom line goal anyway, “Get me to my destination.”

Customer service is a one-on-one exchange. If it goes awry, it’s personal. But in being personable, you make a lot of acquaintances, can have a lot of fun as well and in the end establish a high standard of good customer service.

Is Security Really Necessary?

I’ll acknowledge up front that I’m taking some ideas to the extreme today and recognize that we don’t live in an extreme world. But indulge me for the next few moments for I hope to arrive at some semblance of a logical conclusion and a rational point to ponder by the end.

While contemplating the similarities and differences between railroads, airlines and the joy of travel over the past few days, the tow-path of my mind has delved through the locks of security: What has led us to our current state? Were/are alternative paths available? What is the government’s responsibility in this and what isn’t?

I was intrigued by the article NBC News’ Brian Williams uncovered from 1973 when some of the first federal security regulations were instituted. It would seem that since those days in the mid-70s, we’ve been on a course of new regulations every so often, requiring the re-education of an entire nation, all in the name of security; at least in the airline industry.

This got me thinking, other modes of our transportation system haven’t been altered much over the same time frame. Train travel doesn’t require x-ray screening. Bus trips ask for an ID, but that’s about it. So who decided that air travel required such scrutiny? Is it just because planes have been used as political leverage in the 70s-80s through hi-jacking and more recently as lethal weapons?

I’m not aware that the federal government imposed restrictions on the rental of Ryder trucks after the Oklahoma City bombing though I concede that security at federal buildings has been increased. So why the intense scrutiny on airline travel?

Today’s security measures create one of the biggest headaches for travelers today. I’ve talked with one person who travels regularly from the East Coast to Detroit and prefers to drive the 8hr drive as opposed to dealing with TSA and the security inconveniences of air travel. Seriously, this individual is so frustrated they’d rather blow 8hrs of their time on the road than have to take off their belt, surrender their lotion and walk through a metal detector! And yet, rail travel, though it has its own set of headaches, doesn’t present the security frustrations one encounters with an airline ticket. Would our confidence in air travel be any less if there was less security at airports? Would the country be any less safe?

I wonder what air travel would look like if airline security measures were returned to their pre-9/11 thresholds.

Next time, I’ll return with another installment on Customer Service, this time, it’s personal.

The Joy of Travel

There’s something exhilarating seeing the world go by outside the window at speed whether it’s 65, 100 or 210 miles per hour. From the combination of speed, beautiful scenery, the anticipation of the destination, and the sense of adventure, I don’t recall meeting anyone in my lifetime that didn’t enjoy going places. No, travel is inherent with joy; it’s the accoutrements that have made so many frown upon the exercise.

If it weren’t for traffic, expensive gas and the super-compact/fuel efficient vehicles, driving is a lot of fun. Put me in a ’66 Chrysler New Yorker (as long as a case of oil’s in the trunk) or a ’80 Olds Ninety-Eight, an open road and gas at or below $0.99/gallon (I did a double-take after typing that to make sure it wasn’t a typo) and I’d drive back and forth across the country!

If it weren’t for the notorious delays, the less than plush accommodations, the poor schedules and being expensive when compared to other means, train travel would be really enjoyable.

If it weren’t for weighing the cost of a ticket against the cramped coach seating on the oversold flight for which you’re required to practically undress, surrender all liquids and go several hours with but a sip of a drink and a pretzel or two, air travel could be a blast.

Hmmm, biking while we were in Holland last October was pure unbridled joy. Alas, even that is restrained by the terrain.

After those observations, I wonder if our forefathers, if they were dwelling in the US today and based solely on the state of travel, if they wouldn’t go exploring again only headed back East this time? Ah, but the contaminated cruise ships would remove the joy of seafarers and replace it with overboard-cookie- toss-ers.

No, by in large, we as a people have managed to suck most of the joys out of travel and in many instances, it’s our own doing. By car, we love to drive so much that we’ve overwhelmed what the roads were made to accommodate. And we’ve driven so much we’ve over utilized our own oil supplies and made ourselves co-dependent on others. Not sure what we did to the trains… give me a moment… oh, we didn’t use them enough years ago that they failed and the government took over… we all know it’s never good when the government takes control of something purportedly for “our best interest.” And air traffic, well, we’re so fixated on traveling on the cheap that we’re squeezing the airlines into flying fewer, yet more full flights. We’re doing this to ourselves and destroying a naturally joyful endeavor!

Yeah, we all need to get from point A to point B as quickly and cheaply as possible. But, come on, we’ve got to have fun while doing it!

Next time, is security really necessary?

Is the Commercial Airline Industry Going Down the Same Track?

I love trains and most especially, the old Pennsy, once hailed as the Standard Railroad of the World. I only wish I’d had the opportunity to experience and study it firsthand. Alas, I’m limited by the historical accounts available today, few of which I’ve actually had the time to discover, let alone analyze. Through my love of trains and my airline employment, I’ve drawn a couple of contrasting observations.

Railroads laid the track for commercial transportation providing cross-country routes of freight and passengers, in many instances, picking up where the canal systems left off and extending across our fruited plain. And in their heyday, it was the way to go. Trains ran on time and all the time. It was economical and efficient means of getting from point A to point B while providing a romantic travelling experience. From the fine dining and sleeper accommodations of first class for the rich and famous to the standard seats of coach, the trains were long, spit-shined and gleaming; capturing the attention of many. Within a matter of decades this once high and mighty industry that was the backbone of much of the nation’s commerce and industry would collapse to ruble. While I’d love to understand all that contributed to the downfall, several factors are common sense.

The railroads’ mismanagement eventually caught up with them. Poor decisions regarding company takeovers and mergers only weakened balance sheets and didn’t produce the forecasted results.

Freight, being the railroads’ cash cow, was able to be shipped with comparable benefits and costs through the growing interstate road system which eroded the freight monopoly the railroads once enjoyed.

The interstate system also jeopardized the passenger traffic as the general public had other, cost effective travel options available besides just rails.

Stuck in their traditional models, management was unable to adapt to these changes and more, and eventually strangled their companies in their own antiquated systems and approaches.

I’m sure I’m missing a lot and maybe even misstating some, but for the sake of the post… as I have a front row seat in the commercial airline industry, I wonder if it will eventually end in the same fate. Much the same can be observed about the airline companies:

Few US commercial airlines are turning profits

Mergers and takeovers seem inherent

Other modes of travel appear more viable

The major companies continue to employ practices that date back to their inception with little evidence that the companies are able to identify changes, let alone adapt to them

I don’t have the in depth knowledge of either the once great railroad companies or of today’s airlines. But my theory based on casual observation is that the airlines are headed down a similar track. And if the trend only continues, I wonder if it’s only a matter of time before there’s an Amair, the equivalent of today’s Amtrak.

Economically, there appear to be similarities between the two (railroads and airlines), at least to this casual observer. Next time, I’ll consider whether the joy of travel has been sucked out of the air and laid on the track.

Succession Planning, NBC Style

Leadership succession in organizations, especially in well established franchises and when high profile personalities are involved, is fascinating. From the likes of the Pastorate of the Crystal Cathedral to the anchor changes of the three major network television news broadcasts to the Tonight Show, each has its own interesting tale. From the time Johnny Carson announced he would be retiring from the Tonight Show, I’ve taken particular interest in NBC Entertainment’s approach to succession planning for that franchise, though I’m not sure what initially drew my interest.

I’d experienced late night TV only but once or twice and even that took particular lobbying on both me and my brother to convince my Dad to allow us to stay up and see what exactly these shows entailed. My recollection of that first Tonight Show was Dad’s making sure we didn’t miss Johnny’s golf swing. Letterman, on the other hand, featured the cow-cam that night, which obviously made an indelible impression. How such a short exposure would captivate my interest in the politics of who would fill those show time slots in the decades to come is beyond me, but NBC’s entertained me ever since in ways they’ve not intended.

To recap, when Johnny stepped down from the Tonight Show, Letterman and Leno each thought they would be named as the replacement. Bitter lobbying and negotiating ensued with Leno getting the job and Letterman bolting for rival network CBS with a head-to-head time slot against his new nemesis. The succession of Johnny from NBC’s position had gone awry. They’d lost they’re homerun in Johnny and his replacement came in with an antagonist to split the late night market they once monopolized.

In the mid-2000’s, it seemed quite early in Leno’s career for NBC to announce that Conan O’Brien would be the heir apparent to the Tonight Show franchise whenever Leno would vacate the seat. Premature or not, it was NBC’s own final judgment that they’d botched the previous transition and were taking proactive and aggressive steps to prevent future exchanges from being anything but smooth and in the best interest of the network and it’s assets. That was until 2009.

NBC’s got a mess on its hands again.

What I find most intriguing is that the News division of NBC seems to have a better handle on these matters having navigated the transition from Tom Brokaw to Brian Williams. In fact, in there I think NBC Entertainment might have a possible solution to their current mêlée. After all, we all expect to see Brokaw rolled out for crisis situations… the election, the untimely passing of Tim Russert, etc. The same sort of role, for comedy crisis, could be constructed for Leno. He could emerge from the shadows when the comedy attracting stories hit the wires, i.e. Tiger crashes into a fire hydrant. However this latest episode concludes I’m intrigued and watching with interest to see if NBC succeeds in holding all of its assets this time.

Two final observations: in comedy circles, the Tonight Show is the pinnacle. Maybe it was of greater significance in Johnny’s era, but either way, all of these comedians speak of how they’ve grown up idolizing the Tonight Show and dreaming of filling that role. Once having established their careers to be candidates to fulfill their dream job, if not selected for the coveted seat, they near instantly exchange their dream for cash revealing just how much it was truly worth to them. Behind the curtain, it’s all greed, be it focused on the desire for a chair or cold hard cash. Secondly, anyone notice there’s little chatter about the lack of female or minority representation in these roles? I’m just wondering how so many other professions are scrutinized on those matters while these appear to go unscathed.