Summertime

Officially it's still spring, I realize, but with temps ranging in the mid-90s and humidity not far behind, it's beginning to feel a lot like summer in our area. Some places in the southwest have already approached the century mark. Generally I like summer, and I enjoy the outdoor activities that go with it. The other day, too, a friend shared with me a new arrangement of the song "Summertime" for guitar. I'm not much of a guitarist, but I've enjoyed trying to learn this classic from the musical "Porgy and Bess."

Summertime, though, is no longer a time when the living is easy for many people. Though school is out, work goes on for most, and the pace doesn't let up much. It's true there are vacations and week-end adventures and ballgames and cookouts. Church calendars are crowded with Vacation Bible Schools, summer and day camps, mission trips and so on. But with the onset of summer comes the dreaded "summer slump" in churches. Worship and church school attendance and financial support often slip in the summer months, as folks take advantage of opportunities to get away.

At the same time, in many communities there are new arrivals in the summer months, people making job changes between school years. Congregations may be so preoccupied with their own schedules or the short-handedness reflected in the summer slippage that they miss the opportunity to welcome newcomers. Some families relocating in your community may actually be interested in a new church, or at least open to the possibility of becoming acquainted with new friends. So the summer months are not the time for the congregation's outreach ministry to take time off.