One of my fond memories of my mom is when she would sing, Getting to Know You, from The King and I. As an introvert, it gave me a sense of the positive possibilities when I am friendly and reach out to people. It’s one way to learn to love our neighbors as The Good Book directs us to.
However, it’s easier said than done, isn’t it? We’ve been taught to be reserved, keep to ourselves, and even be a little suspicious of our neighbors. That tension inspired me to write and draw this cartoon.
Pastors and church administrative professionals have to be aware of church bulletin deadlines. They can ruin the day for an unorganized pastor!
One day, my wife came home and discussed the challenges of an associate trying to meet the deadline for the newsletter. This led to the following cartoon.
Thanksgiving is coming in the United States. So there is nothing better for me than to dole out another Thanksgiving cartoon! It’s like an extra helping of oyster dressing and cranberry salad.
The church I grew up in felt obligated to sing We Gather Together each Thanksgiving season. The challenge was that the worship leader would sing it the Sunday before the holiday. To a child, that seemed an eternity away. We might as well sing a Christmas Carol while we were at it! Of course, that came the next Sunday. My poor immature mind couldn’t take this hymnal time warp every season.
The hymn wasn’t exactly kid-friendly either. The first verse was a lot to take in. There isn’t even a chorus! It didn’t exactly roll off the tongue for me.
“We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
Theodore Baker 1894
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.”
So this year, I decided to modernize it a bit. Here is my version:
I realize “scones” is a little high class. But “donuts” didn’t have the same ring to it. Besides, I know a dear lady at one of our previous churches that makes the best scones. Whenever I bit into one, I felt quite grateful.
So have a happy Thanksgiving! enjoy a warm gathering and some scones. It may cause you to break out in singing.
I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.
In some churches, there is a little booth called, “The Welcome Center.” It’s a place where people can get information about church activities and get to know church members and staff.
Well of course, when I first heard the term, I wondered what would happen if you placed someone there that wasn’t very welcoming. Maybe a volunteer had a rough start to the morning. Or perhaps there is one guest that is a little annoying like this cartoon and the host just wasn’t in the mood to handle it.
There are ways to make a welcoming center more welcoming. As this post suggests, staffing it well is important. It mentions four mistakes in staffing a welcome center. Is having no one at the welcome center better than having Ms. Grumpy? I’m sure some churches have to face that dilemma on some Sundays.
I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.
If you have been working from home, have you found that every day has become casual Friday? I thought of this cartoon idea because I knew Easter Sunday was coming. It’s a time when churchgoers get dressed up. This year was quite different from the past. It was far different than Irving Berlin’s old song.
I didn’t look quite as bad as the guy in my cartoon. Still, it was far more casual than past Easters. I heard stories of people dressing up anyway for the holiday. I would say they probably felt better and it helped lift their spirits. I will have to try it this weekend.
If you have been working remotely and have been a little down in the dumps, it may help to get dressed up as if you were going to your workplace or for an event. In the meantime, I know we’re all looking forward to the day when we can get out their and parade in our Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it.
I drew this cartoon for the April 2020 CHOGNewsletter.
