Serving, Singing, and Stressing: My Sunday Mornings in a Church Parking Lot
While many see the finished product on Sunday mornings, few are able to see what goes on behind-the-scenes. When we held our church services outside in the parking lot during the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to make my Sunday mornings as stress-free as possible. And I still wanted the singing to be superb. Here are three ways that show how worshiping outdoors didn’t always work out the way that I planned.
1. Technical Difficulties
First, there were technical issues to worry about. Because we broadcasted via Zoom, there were many settings that needed adjusting. When we were sound checking on one Sunday, there was a slight delay in the sound coming out from the main speakers, which definitely would have thrown off our rhythm and timing on the stage. Because we shared a keyboard with another congregation, some of the settings had been changed and we were unable to use certain keys. These issues were all resolved, but it did give me stress.
2. Uncontrollable Kids
Second, my attention could never truly focus away from my children. Because there was no child care, my wife had to take care of them during sound check and the service. And when they saw me playing, they couldn't help but want to come towards me on the stage! Though it was cute and funny, I worried for their safety and the sanity of my wife as she took care of them. I love my family, and they were fine, but it made me anxious to see their activity during the service.
3. Weather Worries
Finally, the weather was unpredictable and uncontrollable. I worried about rain and our equipment getting wet, especially after feeling trickles of raindrops earlier this spring. On a recent Sunday, it was so hot outside that my guitar strings went out of tune towards the end of the set. While nothing has gone horribly wrong, I still worried over what I could not control.
Worship Outside the Walls of the Church
What I’ve learned and loved during our season of outdoor worship is challenging myself to see worship with fresh eyes outside the walls of the church. True worship doesn’t have to take place in a church building. Whether you worship on a mountain or a parking lot, God calls all of us to worship him in Spirit and in truth. Our earthly anxieties are real, but we can take them to God at any place and at any time. My exhortation, both for worship leaders and the congregation, is that faithfulness is what brings worship to God -- not perfectionism. God sees everything that happens behind-the-scenes. He is quick to listen, calms our fears, and assures us that he just wants to hear his children sing.
