I laughed out loud when I read Dennis Taylor’s column regarding
the
”
Got Purpose?
”
signs which adorn our community.
I laughed out loud when I read Dennis Taylor’s column regarding the “Got Purpose?” signs which adorn our community. Every time I pass one, I say aloud “yes” and drive on.
I think that the motive behind this campaign is well-meaning, but in a community like ours, totally unnecessary We are a church community Our churches outnumber our huge list of fast food joints, which is saying a lot.
Maybe because we have so many churches, we are inundated with literature inviting us to join them I am sure that this marketing tool is seen as a necessity for those smaller churches that need more people to generate revenue to expand their program or build a new facility. But the vast majority of churches here in Gilroy don’t need to lure people in. The new resident who arrives in Gilroy can easily find out where the Methodist church is located. I moved here in 1994, and looked in the phone book to find the Catholic parish.
For the record, we have thousands of people here in Gilroy whose lives have purpose who are not members of the South Valley ommunity Church. Maybe those signs should have more accurately asked “Got My Purpose?” I wouldn’t dream of soliciting their members to change teams” and join First Baptist Church or St. Mary Church. These are two of the largest congregations in Gilroy. I imagine either of these churches could very well market themselves to the general public using the time honored “you’ve tried all the rest – now try the best” approach.
Happily, the vast majority of our Christian churches here in Gilroy are rather low-key in their approach to those who are not part of their particular denomination. This is the way churches operate back East. The Episcopal church doesn’t try to win you over If a thinking adult is curious about the Lutheran church, they can easily find one and speak to the minister. In my experience, all churches, synagogues and mosques are easily approachable if you are interested. I am very thankful that they don’t all feel the need to knock on my door and solicit my presence.
On Friday, Cynthia Walker wrote about local Christians inviting you to join them for Easter. Very few Christians actually do this here in Gilroy. While most of my friends are Christian, they realize that I will be at my own church on Easter. They also realize that what we are celebrating on that day, the Resurrection of Christ, is pretty much the same thing they will be celebrating at their own church.
I might add that Passover overlapped with Easter this year. There’s plenty of purpose associated with Passover. The Orthodox Church will be celebrating Easter this Sunday; I have had the pleasure of going to a Greek Orthodox Church, and it was without a doubt the most beautiful Easter service I ever attended.
When I was a senior in high school, I went to Bermuda with a group of friends for spring break. On Palm Sunday, a group of us walked to the local church for Mass. We had asked a man at the front desk where the Catholic church was located, and we followed his directions. I sat through the service, listened to the Passion, held my palm aloft, and received communion. It was only upon leaving church that I noticed that I had been at an Anglican church. It never occurred to me that the concierge was trying to pull one over on us, or attempting a mass conversion. Either he didn’t know where the Catholic church was, or we took a wrong turn. I felt spiritually nourished as I left the church, perhaps it was fate that brought me there.
When it comes to church, I am obviously not a purist. Which is why it shouldn’t surprise you to know that this Easter, I missed the Mass I usually attend at St. Mary. Instead, I attended the one o’clock Easter Mass. I hadn’t realized that this Mass would be celebrated in Spanish.
Even though I only fully understood half of what was said, it was a beautiful service. The music was uplifting, the little girls were bedecked in their beautiful dresses, and it was a wonderful celebration of the Resurrection. While I never attended Mass in Latin, I came away realizing that Easter is joyful in any language.
I’ve got purpose.
