We arrive a little late, and came in through the wrong door because we were in a hurry, and there was no signage or people to direct us. A lady did greet us at the door, and quickly directed us to the main lobby. We were handed off to another woman who asked us some questions, gave us some information, handed us a welcome packet and then asked what church we had come from in Denver.
We were not wearing church shirts or carrying Bibles, but somehow we either looked obviously "churched", or this particular greeter did not have very high expectations of meeting an "unchurched" person in their rented school lobby. We had reviewed the church's website, and their mission included language about reaching unchurched people, but it must have been a safe bet to not expect any on Labor Day weekend. We were then "branded" a visitor by being given a box with cookies in it and a green "welcome pack" folder to carry around. We felt conspicuous.
We were also informed that this was "family Sunday" - no children's programs, everybody was together in the main service going on that very minute in the cafe/audi/gymnasium. As we went through the door we were immediately flashing back to Aspen Creek K-8 - tile floors, metal folding chairs, and a high ceiling. At least the room was not round. There were kids everywhere.
The family service consisted of music, communion service, a message (complete with interactive children's ministry participation) and a skit. Let's just say it was a long morning. I hesitate to offer too much more on the service since I am sure that there were a lot of key people missing for a holiday weekend. I am going to offer a general observation and leave V5 with much benefit of the doubt.
There have been occasions in Discovery's history that we have held the "family service" - sometimes strategically, and sometimes just to cover a morning without having the resources to staff a full children's program. I am not critiquing the model, sometimes it is what you need to do. However, having now experienced this as a visitor, it was truly an uncomfortable experience. These are the points that we felt discomfort at V5's family service:
- We did not have kids. Seems simple, but it was really our first time experiencing this particular awkwardness. Even as our kids got older, we were involved in Discovery's children's ministry and have a lot of special connections to kids and families in the church. Other than the universal cuteness factor of observing kids in this setting, we felt very out of place as a visitor without kids.
- The chaos overwhelmed the experience at times. There were some parents who truly looked like they were enjoying having their family with them in the service. Others look frazzled, and it felt awkward to watch some of those parents struggle to manage their kids throughout the service. Or not manage - as we witnessed one small child almost wrestle the worship leader's guitar off its stand and onto the floor in a brief moment of mayhem, while the parent struggled to figure out if they were allowed onto the stage to retrieve the child.
- It felt desperate - not strategic. We get it, sometimes it is all you can do to get set up and packed up on a holiday weekend in a portable setting. Better planning, a more thoughtful approach to how the kids could participate in the service, and more hands to direct and supervise would have all helped. Bottom line - even if you are desperate, do something strategically.
We left pretty quickly after the service was over. Nobody seemed to notice - even with our cookie box and green folder. They were busy tearing down and keeping track of their children.
