THAT'S NOT MY JOBBBBBBB!!!

When I was in high school, I went to one of our Varsity soccer games, in nearby Bath. Soccer was big in our school- taking Football's place as our anchor sport in the Fall. I remember that this game happened on a warm and sunny Saturday morning, and the team we were playing against was very good.
At one point, the ball went out of bounds- way out. In fact, it went out of the boundaries of the field, and down a little slope toward the parking lot. The other team's high scorer was standing at that corner of the field and watched it go. Soon his team mates yelled at him to go get the ball.
He yelled back (in my memory, in some kind of southern accent? It's unlikely, but that's how it sounds in my head 30+ years later) "THAT'S NOT MY JOBBBB!!!" He said it a few times, as his teammates urged him to go get the ball so the game could start again. "That's not my job!! That is NOT MY JOB!"
That phrase, in that accent, has been an inside (my head) joke that still makes me laugh. Something about this team star, muscly athlete yelling "THAT'S NOT MY JOB!" just cracks me up. I can't even remember what happened, or who ended up going to get the damned thing so they could start up again.
I was thinking about it today because this week in one of our trainings, I asked the staff members there, representing all four of our parishes, to commit to being a welcomer at any Mass they attended. Before or after, when seeing someone who needs a seat, when noticing a newcomer- to be the person who says hello to everyone coming in their churches. Most of them raised their hands to commit but some didn't, and I could almost hear them whispering "that's noooottttt myyyyyy jobbbbbb." But of course it is their job, and my job, and yours- not because we all work at churches, but because we are baptized and urged to be disciples who make disciples.
When the pastoral poop hit the fan around here in the 90s and our churches were struggling even to take a deep breath while we tried to stay afloat in the churning waters of scandal, and we all came to the realization that change needed to come to this Church, I saw people walk away, yelling with their actions: "THAT'S NOT MY JOB!" But of course it was their job, and my job, and yours- not because we are trying to keep the Church alive, but because we are baptized and urged to be disciples who make disciples.
I hope that the next time you walk into a church, for whatever reason, that someone will smile at you. If you're late and looking for a seat, I hope that someone will beckon you over to their pew and slide over to give you room. And I hope together we can make the Church a welcoming place for everyone. I'm willing to do what I can to make that happen- after all, it's my job.

Conference notes (2 new posts)

One thing that a conference-goer must bear, at least at ministry conferences, is the "now, let's stand and find someone you don't know, and ________________ them" activity. At Fashion Me a People, the conf. I attended last week on lifelong faith formation, we hugged each other, named ourselves after countries and found each other, shared our stories with each other, and made the sign of the cross on each other's forehead. I am not a fan of this activity, the find and ________ activity, but I have to admit that every once in a while, some neat nugget comes up.
This time around, I heard a great idea about teaching the concept of Welcome, as part of the Mass (that's the first part, if you're taking notes). Here's what she did. (it's okay, I told her I'd be stealing it, and she said "Do!")
She sent the kids out of the church, and told the parents the plan. She said "when the kids come back in, we're going to welcome them like they've never been welcomed before. Big round of applause! Open arms! Cheers and smiles!" They sang the first verse of "Gather Us In" and then, during the next (instrumental) verse, the doors were opened, and the kids came in to their wonderful welcome. Now here's the kicker: she told them, "this is how God feels about you coming to Mass every week! It's supposed to feel this good, and you're supposed to feel this welcomed, at every Mass. And it is our responsibility to make other people feel this welcome when they enter our doors."
How cool is that?? Imagine a place that celebrates your attendance at Mass. At my first parish there were stories about a former pastor who would call people if they didn't show up at Mass, in order to make them cower their way back the next week. In contrast, my Mom told me recently that Dad dropped her off at the door and went to park a few weeks ago, and when she walked in the narthex alone, people asked her if everything was okay- they noticed Dad's absence, and asked out of concern. She felt welcomed. Makes me want to work hard to make Mass at my parish a place of welcome and hospitality.