Behind the Scenes

“Love the snow, hate the cold” has been a common phrase at our house.

Having lived in Minnesota and Wisconsin all our lives we know it will be cold for a little while this same time each year but we still have to say it. Maybe you have a similar line you’ve used or a ritual you go through on the coldest of days – like starting the car to let it warm up before you take it anywhere, or being the first one on your block with the snow blower out in the storm. Maybe you just look forward to the beauty of a fresh snowfall that cleans up everything with a fresh look, so you wait inside with a hot chocolate or coffee and sit by the fire.

We bought snowmobiles a few years back so we could get out and do something in the cold. Maybe, like us, you’ve been involved in a hockey program with a commitment to many games and tournaments to attend regardless of the weather.  We have pro football games, ice fishing, sledding, ice skating, slippery roads, four wheel drive vehicles, and ATV’s. It seems we are a hardy bunch up here in the frozen north who have found some pretty fun and productive things to do during the cold and snow!

One thing I don’t think that was invented in the frozen north, though, was doing a portable church.

At Branches, we rent our meeting space. We store everything we need for our group gathering during the week, set it up for three hours, then take it down and pack it away again until next week. Everything from sound equipment to communion trays, chairs for kids to coffee makers goes back in the trailer. Every week everything has to be set up, plugged in, cleaned, fixed, adjusted, arranged, filled, replaced, warmed up, and then taken back down and packed away for next Sunday.

Most things, that is. In the cold, you can’t forget the baby wipes and put them in the trailer or next week you’ll be trying to wipe a child’s nose (or other parts) with the equivalent of a popsicle. Someone has to take the cleaners and disinfectants with them to keep them inside all week or they will freeze. The sound board does not do well in the cold all week then brought back to room temperature for a sound check within thirty minutes – diodes and circuits just don’t respond to condensation well!

But behind the scenes, making all this happen week in and week out, are the unsung heroes that deal with setting up and taking down all we need to do portable church. Yes, it’s nice to come to a church where the coffee is on and the snacks are out and the sound is rockin’ and the kids room is set up and the video is working properly and the chairs are laid out in theater fashion, and with trustees who monitor and count and deposit what has been given in the offering boxes. But, it takes people who are willing to get up earlier than most on a Sunday morning – even in the frozen winter of Wisconsin – and start the truck to get the trailer,  unload the drums, warm up the sound system, fill the coffee pots and communion cups, and run wires under the seats, so that the space that begins as a lunch room can be transformed into a church for three hours each week.

These folks are my heroes! These folks are among the greatest in the kingdom of God according to Jesus’ teaching. They are willing to serve others, get down to the basics of it all and get up on a cold and snowy day, get the portable stuff to the school, and start building the place we call church. They do it for you, they do it for the kingdom, they do it because they believe in what we are doing in building a place where people can come as they are and find a place to grow in their faith.

But it is a LOT of work and I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who is involved in this part of our worship at Branches!

And I would ask that if you aren’t involved in the set up and taking down of Branches Church each week that you look into it. This is a great time with a small group of people who create a lot of energy in the room before church and have a great time working together.

If you are loving this portable church thing in these frozen days of winter in Wisconsin, I encourage you to jump in and put your hand to the task of what it takes to do this for real!