Last Sunday, a man entered the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas and opened fire on worshippers. 26 died. Over 20 are injured, ten of whom remain in critical condition. The building itself was so badly damaged by the barrage of gunfire from a semi-automatic weapon that it may be beyond repair. God help us all.
On September 24, a gunman entered Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee and opened fire upon worshippers. He killed one and injured seven. God help us for the grizzly business of needing to count in this way.
We wrap the people of these churches in soft, strong bands of prayer, asking that God may provide impossible comfort to those who grieve.
As I reflect upon the horrors visited upon these small churches, these soft targets, I am reminded that the practice of church ushering is not what it used to be. We cannot but laud, and perhaps identify with a Burnette Chapel usher, Robert Engle, who pounced on the shooter, undoubtedly saved lives and was, himself, injured. God bless him.
Who among us has not considered that all it takes is a single, enraged, deranged, or evil person to bring grievous harm to many? As a consequence, today’s Old South Church ushers practice a posture we call Welcoming and Watchful (coined by former Senior Church Deacon Candace Kosturko). While in earlier decades it was fine for ushers to take a seat once worship had begun (job well done), or to turn their backs on the open door, or to spend ushering-time in friendly conversation with an usher-mate, no more. Today’s ushers are asked to remain attentive, Welcoming and Watchful, eyes trained on the open doors, on visitors, tourists, and strangers. They are asked to look out for worrying behaviors: the agitated visitor, the unattended backpack. They keep watch over the people in the section they have been assigned. Those who manage the jigsaw puzzle of Sunday hospitality assignments, work hard to make sure that among any group of ushers on a given Sunday are those who are able-bodied and handy with a cell phone. Each Sunday’s Head Usher has the job of watching over the assigned ushers and addressing any concerns as they arise, acting as a roving usher. In addition, our Senior Sexton Elias Perez keeps a watchful eye on all who enter the building. Who doesn’t trust Elias to keep us safe?! In the words of Jesus, we aim to be “wise as serpents, yet gentle as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
At Old South Church in Boston, hospitality is a theological commitment to the God who commissions us to welcome the stranger, because we were once strangers ourselves, and because, as St. Paul admonishes us: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2). I can’t tell you how many times our Old South Church hospitality has made the difference in a visitor’s life. We know, for instance, that some are prompted to venture into our church for the very first time because they are in the grip of a crisis. Others are driven to us out of intense loneliness; they are aching for community. How and whether they are greeted, whether someone, anyone remembers their name on the second visit, these experiences matter deeply. As they say, you only get one chance to make a first (and lasting) impression.
The world we live in is dangerous. Around every turn is a potential peril. No wonder the first greeting every biblical angel gives to a human person is this: “Do not be afraid!” Yet, forgive me for daring to coach angels, but I wonder if it wouldn’t be been better to say, “Courage! Be brave!” After all, a certain amount of fear is warranted. Anything can happen and bad things do happen.
So, a final word to Old South Church ushers. First and foremost: Thank you. Bless you. Thank you for welcoming the world (and, presumably), the occasional angel, to worship. Thank you for being Welcoming and Watchful, for your attentiveness and vigilance in the service of keeping Old South Church safe for all. Thank you for the sacrifices you make in order to maintain a warm and secure environment for worshippers, visitors, and strangers. Over the years, as God is my witness, you have faced and met an array of interesting and untoward behaviors and challenges. Well done!
And, not least, thank you for your courage. I know from talking to some of you that you do, at least sometimes, experience trepidation while standing, as it were, on the front lines. Thank you for facing your fears in order to serve the house of God, in order to maintain this Sanctuary in the City. Unlike the biblical angels I am not going to say to you: “Don’t be afraid.” Rather, I encourage you thusly: Courage! Be brave!
Dear Ushers, Welcomers, and Greeters: thank you and bless you for the gift that you are to our life together.
Everyone else: If you have not yet ushered, may I invite you to consider this courageous and potentially heroic Christian practice, the practice of providing hospitality and sanctuary in a perilous world? Get started here.
Warmly and gratefully
–Rev. Nancy Taylor
You can read here an informative piece about church shootings (statistic and trends) here.