ChurC h-types

Praying for the day when the mold breaks

Let’s face it. Sometimes we churchtypes get a bad rap, and we often deserve it.

We are seen as set in our ways, because we too often are. We resist change because we’ve learned from experience that there are many changes that have failed to be improvements on the tried-andtrue. We recite creeds that are downright revolutionary, and then act in reactionary ways. We claim to be filled with the Spirit, but people call us the “frozen chosen.”

Sometimes we are more likely to be the priest who walks by the wounded guy at the roadside, rather than the Good Samaritan who takes the risk and asks, “How can I help?” We have too many opinions and not enough faith. And we don’t get upset enough about the terrible injustices of the world. We dispense judgment more readily than mercy.

Perhaps worst of all, we have an unbecoming tendency to divide the world into the good people and the bad people, and we are terribly sloppy with our line-drawing.

OK, maybe I’m being a little hard on my family and families like us, but it’s true that the church still has a long way to go to resemble the divine kingdom. But recently, while perusing a church publication (yes, an actual church publication), I ran across this refreshing entry:

“We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome soccer moms, NASCAR dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, lattesippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you’re having problems or you’re down in the dumps or if you don’t like ‘organized reli- gion.’ We’ve been there, too.

“If you blew all your offering money at the dog track, you’re welcome here. We offer a special welcome to those who think the earth is flat, work too hard, don’t work, can’t spell, or because grandma is in town and wanted to go to church.

“We welcome those who are inked, pierced or both. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down your throat as a kid or got lost in traffic and wound up here by mistake. We welcome tourists, seekers and doubters, bleeding hearts … and you.”

I really like that. I pray each day that the church will live up to it — until even the “we” and “you” language dissolves away, too, and we all realize, “churched” and “unchurched,” that all of us are really you, too. Because what lots of people never come to realize is that, even for this church-type pastor of an organized church, a lot of the descriptions you see above describe me (I’ll leave it to you to figure out which ones).

You see, we’re all so much more alike than we let on.

Preston Hollow Early Childhood Association has expanded its philanthropy efforts. This year, the moms group is partnering with Big Thought to provide funding for its learning programs that focus not only on engaging children in the classroom but also in the home and the community. The group will continue to contribute funds to ongoing neighborhood projects at the Bookmarks Library at NorthPark Center, the Preston Royal library and Preston Hollow Park.

Dallas Junior Police Academy accepts applications for its Nov. 3 session through Sep. 20. The training session is for students in grades 4-7 who want to learn what it’s like to be a Dallas Police recruit. The event takes place at the department’s basic training academy. Applications are available at dallaspolice.net. For more information, call Sgt. Cheryl Cornish at 214.671.4406.

It’s My Park Day is a one-day event for residents, families, and community groups to pitch in and clean their neighborhood parks 8 a.m. – noon Sept. 8. Help beautify our neighborhood parks by removing graffiti, picking up litter, weeding and participating in other activities. To volunteer, call Dallas Park and Recreation at 214.670.8400. Sign up by Aug. 31 at itsmyparkdaydallas. eventbrite.com.

People

Molly Nolan, a Preston Hollow resident and Ursuline Academy graduate, interned this summer with The Retina Foundation, thanks to the ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program. Nolan worked in the pediatric eye research laboratory, helping test a new device that screens children for vision disorders. Nolan attends Texas A&M and is majoring in allied health. She plans to attend nursing school and become a nurse practitioner.

Two W.T. White alumni played roles in the London Olympics. Shannon Land Gillespy, a 1979 alumna, was on the coaching staff for the U.S. Olympic swim team, serving as team manager for the open-water swimmers. Dennis Bowsher, W.T. White Class of 2001, was on the U.S. pentathlon team, competing in five games: freestyle swim, cross-country run, an equestrian jump, fencing and target shooting. He finished in 32nd place.

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