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Church-bound Off the Wall Oct 19, 2006
Betty and Ronald Ziggeldorf loved to travel. After retiring from the steel industry, Ron decided he was going to purchase a motor home and the two of them would venture out to see the sights throughout the US of A. When the big day came, all the possessions they wished to take were loaded aboard and the two were off from their hometown in Bangor, Maine hoping to arrive at some point in San Francisco, CA. One thing could be said about this couple. Whenever Sunday rolled around, so to speak, you could count on one thing. They loved to go to church. They wouldn't miss worship services for any reason. In their heart, they knew that paying reverence to God was of utmost importance. On the way down the coast, many of the famous seaports were visited. They marveled at the beautiful sights. Not being in a hurry, they stopped many times along the way. By the end of the week they came upon a little town in the state of Connecticut whereby they saw a sign posted, "Church - 5 Miles." There was nothing to say it was Protestant or Catholic. The Ziggeldorfs were Methodists. "Should they attend or not," was the big question. Knowing that God knew their hearts, there was no question what the answer would be. Instead of driving all over looking for a church of their persuasion, they decided to give it a go. They attended, sang the hymns, listened to the sermon, greeting everyone in a loving way and departed feeling fulfilled. Granted, there are differences in the way people worship from denomination to denomination especially Protestants and Catholics, but to the Christian, regardless of persuasion, God is the person through Jesus Christ to whom we give homage. Would I, a devout Catholic, visit a Protestant church on a Sunday if I could not find one of my leaning, especially if I were out in the middle of nowhere? The answer would be "yes" even though I may feel a bit awkward. I may not agree with some of the teachings and would definitely practice discernment, but I would be able to pray and praise God with a group of believers known as the church. One person going from door to door asked me one day, "How can I be a Christian when there are over 195,000 different churches of the faith alone. I told him that the Holy Spirit led me as to my direction. I was satisfied with my answer. To some, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist and Lutheran are all labels in a sense. Each is a form of marketing. Aren't we persuaded to buy a particular product because of the name on the cover? When we belong to a church, we are actually doing a similar thing. We are buying into a preference, not monetarily, but psychologically. Last month, a man entered my store and showed me some catalogs. He told me I should forego buying the products I have been purchasing and go with this company instead. I took one look at the manufacturer and told him it wouldn't work. "It's like this," I told him. "People buy what is advertised. If this company puts no advertising in the trade publications or those tabloids sports-minded people read, the products definitely will not sell. It is as simple as that." We all know what companies stand out in our minds when it comes to tissues. Two manufacturers come to mind. What if I were to start my own such company? I could call it Pee Vee's Tissues with the motto, "Something to Sneeze at." Even though I would have a catchy slogan, would I stand a chance to sell my product? The answer is simple no way. So, as you see, marketing plays into various facets of life. Just a label can turn heads into accepting or rejecting. To the Ziggeldorfs, not finding a Methodist church turned out to be no big deal after all. They had their priorities in line. Their goal was to see God's creations through the week and visit His house of worship weekly. They were truly blessed.
Paul j. volkmann 10/11/06 |
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