Some of you know that I sing sea chanties for fun – those old work songs, made for large groups to stay together when hauling on lines – way, hey and up she rises. In fact, I am a regular at the Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco, where a monthly “sing” draws a large crowd of enthusiasts for an open sing-along session.
I have attended for about 5 years and have seen the crowds grow – from about 100 people when I first showed up, to 335 this past weekend. Good leadership, a couple of well-placed newspaper articles, and word of mouth have all helped this event grow. But recently we have burst a couple of seams as the sing continues growing. First, we were no longer able to fit the crowds on the 1886 square-rigged sailing ship Balclutha… and had to move instead to the 1890 steam ferryboat Eureka, where it is quite unlikely that chanties were ever sung by the 8-hour shift workers bringing passengers and vehicles across the bay. And recently, because of the growing crowds and new park regulations, we have discontinued the tradition of serving hot cider halfway through the evening.
I will be the first to admit I’m grumpy about the changes. After all, I met my partner on the Balclutha, and it’s full of nostalgia for us. And singing chanties on the ferry in the company of historic cars and steam engines just doesn’t have the same effect as singing them under the shadow of the three enormous masts and their complicated rigging. But still, I’m not yet an old-timer at this sing that is as old as I am. The REAL old-timers wax poetic about the days when the sing was held in the sailors’ quarters of a small wooden schooner, the Thayer, rocking lightly in the waves of the bay, capacity 40 people.
Nostalgia is powerful, but it ought not to get in the way of welcoming people. For the sea chantey sing, moving to the ferryboat has allowed more people to attend, to learn about the old songs, and to enjoy a communal experience as we sing together. At MPC I think about our season of growth as well. The youth feel nostalgic for the days when we didn’t have to break into small groups for discussion, and many people have felt anxious when trying to schedule a meeting on a Sunday morning, when all the meeting rooms are already in use. But the fact is, as we grow, more people are having their spiritual needs met, and more people are able to enjoy the blessings of community here.
To those of you who find yourself inadvertently grumbling about MPC’s growth, I offer my sympathy, because despite my best intentions I did grumble about the ferry and the cider. But somehow (by the grace of God? or just calm personalities?) there are some of you who manage an unflappable smile in the face of full pews, busy meeting spaces, and full sign-up lists… and who reach out to welcome the new people. There were a lot of youth group members in church this Sunday, some for their first time, and your welcome, appreciation and patience (even when the demand for pancakes far exceeded supply!) go far to help them feel that yes, this is their church too, and there is room for them.
May that graciousness, with which God has blessed us, be shared yet again to welcome all who are new here.
Every Blessing,
Talitha