Church Rater Survey # 3

Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Church Rater Survey


The Church
What Church did you visit?

I visited Beit Meshekaynu at Freedom Valley Worship Center for their celebration of the Passover Seder.

What city or town is this Church located?

Gettysburg, PA.

What date and service did you attend?

Thursday, April 9, 2009, 6 PM.



Evaluating
How would you rate this church?



Please provide ratings based on your own experience. Yes, I realize this is subjective and your '1′ might be someone else's '5′. That's ok. It's your rating and I really want your opinion.

Rate the following from 1 to 5. 1 is not effective, 5 is very effective!
Overall: _____3______ Friendliness ______2_______ Singing ______3______ Preaching ____3_____


First Impressions
Outside:
Was the building easy to find?

It was easy since I go to church at FV, but if we hadn't been invited by Ken and Marcia Strickhouser, I would not have known that Rabbi Ed's congregation even meets at our church. I saw "Beit Meshekaynu" in our bulletin, but I had no idea what that was.

Was it difficult to find parking? No.
How about the interior or exterior signage- what would you do differently?

I would advertise out front that they meet there since Sunday's "King of Kings" service gets billing.

What did the appearance, style, or construction of the building communicate to you?

Honestly?? I love Freedom Valley, and I know why it was built the way it was (in order to be cost effective and so that it could be changed easily, which I appreciate), but pole buildings have always felt to me as though they would blow away if a good stiff wind came along. The only wind I hope that comes in force is the Pneuma of the Holy Spirit.

Before the service:
Did anyone approach you and speak to you before the service got underway? Yes.

If someone did speak to you, how did you feel about that?

Mixed feelings. Only because Rabbi Ed was the only one from Beit Meshekaynu who came up and said hello. Otherwise, we were greeted by people we already knew from our church. Oh! And my longtime friend Chris Abrams and her husband, Dave, who I normally don't see, but of late, we keep crossing paths. Do you suppose God has a reason for that?


Can you share their names?

Sure. As mentioned, Chris and Dave, also Ken and Marcia Strickhouser, Cindy Janczyk, Robin Wilson, John and Jenn Vintigni (sp?), Andy Leister (Chris's brother), and John and Phil from Freedom House. After the seder had started, Julie Stoltzfoos, came in and joined us.


Did you know them before the visit? Yes. All of them.




General observations:


As you observed the people "doing their church thing", what went through your mind?

That there was still a dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles. For the most part, the Jewish congregation sat on one side of the room and the Gentiles sat on the other side of the room. The only exception I saw to that, and I certainly may be wrong, was Chris and her family who were sitting with the friends of theirs who had invited them, Len I-don't-know-who and his family. Len is Jewish. Actually, Dave has Jewish ancestry and was there so they could learn more about that ancestry.


Were you able to understand why they do what they do?

Yes. I really appreciated the "Haggadah" that someone had taken the time to make. It was a very detailed explanation of the Passover Seder, why they celebrate it, the order in which each of the elements are celebrated, and what each element is representative of. It made the Bible become more alive and gave me added insight into both the Jewish faith and parts of the Old Testament that I didn't fully (and maybe still don't) comprehend before.


Do they seem sincere? Yes. Certainly.


What do you think about the overall presentation of the service? (the liturgy, program or flow of the service)

Since it was a Passover Seder, I'm sure it was probably different from their normal services, but the flow was still good. It was a little long...still going after 10 PM...and there was a time or two when Rabbi Ed did some teaching along the way for those of us who may not have known or understood certain things in the Haggadah. He also took the time to share the miracle of his family's torah and how they came to receive it, which is always a pleasure to hear.




Bulletin and communications:


Is there anything in the church bulletin that you find confusing or offensive?

In place of a "normal" bulletin they had the "Haggadah". It was not at all confusing or offensive. It was well thought out and very much appreciated.


If this were your "business", how would you improve the communication part of it- the bulletin especially?

I don't think I could improve on what they did.


Were announcements clear, and interesting (did you want to sign up for anything)?

Not applicable.




Children's Ministry


Does this church appear kid-friendly?

I don't really remember seeing too many kids, but I remember Rabbi Ed having said before that they love children and that they consider them such a blessing.


Did you bring any children with you to the service?

No.


If so, ask them about their experience. What did they tell you?

Not applicable.



Music and Prayer


How would you describe the music?

Different. It was Jewish worship music that Rabbi Ed's son, Nick, sang. It was totally different from the type of worship music that I'm used to hearing since some of it was in Hebrew. One of the songs had "Henani(sp?)" in it, which means "Here am I". The gist of it, I believe, was, "Here am I, send me"...allow me to be Your servant and messenger. I found that song to be very moving.


Did you enjoy any of it? Yes, and humbling in a way.


Did you feel like you connected with God during any part of it? Yes.

How was it different from what you are used to?

Some of it was in Hebrew, so it was not as easy to catch the meaning behind all of it. Yet, it was still powerful enough to make me feel humbled.

Would you enjoy worshiping like that often?

Only if I knew more Hebrew and more about the Jewish culture. Otherwise, not so much.

What did you think of the prayers that were offered in the service?

The prayers were written in Hebrew, spelled out phonetically below, and below that in English. It was interesting because Michael and I were chosen to be the "abba" and "imma" at the table where we sat, and so had to try and say the prayer in both Hebrew and then English. I was so focused on trying to pronounce the Hebrew rendition that I'm afraid not much of the meaning soaked in. One reason I was thankful for the Haggadah...I can go back and look at the prayers. They were all prayers of blessing and thanksgiving.


As you listened to the prayers, what did you learn about how that church might think of people, or of God?

Just from the prayers I would say that they are people who like to "bless" and give thanks to God. I would imagine that they would also be a people who like to "bless" others. If that is the case, I can only imagine that they would be very hurt or perhaps angered, by someone saying something unkind or by the curses that some people habitually use.




The Speaker's Presentation




Did the Pastor or speaker seem likable? Yes.


Is he/she a person you might enjoy having coffee with? Why?

Yes. We have actually had the pleasure of having dinner with Rabbi Ed and his wife, Janet, before. I'd love learning more about Jewish history and culture because of the insight it provides me. I would get a better understanding of who Jesus was, the time in which he lived, the mindset, why they might have done certain things that they did. Some things in the Bible would end up just making more sense.


Did he/she seem engaged/sincere/condescending?

Yes. Yes. No. Rabbi Ed is very moved by the Word of God. He breaks down in tears when he reads it because it has such deep meaning for him. It would be a good thing if more people were so affected by the words of God.


Were you motivated to do or think anything differently because of the talk?

Yes, actually. The next morning I felt as though God was prompting me to celebrate Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread by removing all things that were full of leaven (representative of sin)from our house. It was difficult to do because we had just gone to the grocery store and it meant tossing out a lot of things what we had just bought. The first thought was to give the loaves of bread, crescent rolls, etc, that we had just bought, to someone else so that they wouldn't be wasted. But I quickly realized that passing "sin" on to someone else was not something I wanted to be doing. There was more to it than just throwing out bread with yeast. There was hidden "sin", too. Anything with baking powder or baking soda had to go, too. I thought I had gotten all of it, but didn't realize that certain things still contained leavening agents/"sin". Katherine, in her ignorance, immediately found and partook of pancakes made with some kind of leaven. I was mortified that I hadn't gotten rid of all the "sin" after all. I took that outside, but didn't at first throw it out. I kept it "hidden" in the trunk of my car until God convicted me and I ended up throwing that out as well. After part of the week went by, I discovered there was still(!) hidden "sin" in tortillas (of all places!)! I had to throw that out, too, and repent. After trying to get rid of all the "sin" in our household and even being mindful about it, I discovered that it was next to impossible to do so. It made me think more deeply about the real sin I allow in my life, knowingly or unknowingly, what I do with my knowledge of sin (do I try to hide it, as I did in my car), or do I make an honest effort to get rid of it? It was a good excercise and I'm even more appreciative of what Jesus did by dying on the cross for me.


What could they have done to make it more enjoyable or useful?

Shortened it just a bit.


Please erase any of the following descriptors that did not apply to the talk: Enjoyable, Thought-provoking, Boring, Relevant, Energetic, Credible, Slow, Sad, Upbeat, Useful, Life-changing,




The Message


What was the main idea of the message?

The reason for celebrating Passover: God "passing over" His chosen people because of the blood of the Lamb that was poured out as a sacrifice, placed on the doorframe of the houses where they ate the lamb, and their deliverance from death. It wan't really mentioned, but it's easy to see that God does the same thing with us today if we believe in Jesus dying on the cross as a blood sacrifice for us and how His blood is then used to cover our "spiritual" doorfames so that God passes over us, sparing us from death.


What action did the speaker want you to take or consider taking?

There wasn't so much an action that we were encouraged to consider taking, but, as I mentioned earlier, I felt as though God prompted me to take specific action.


Did the talk itself (the subject matter) hold your attention? Yes.


Did any part of the talk stand out to you in a positive or negative way?

Yes. It made me more thoughtfully consider sin.


What is the one thing the speaker could do that would improve his/her presentation?

Perhaps shorten it just a bit.


Do you think that you particularly will remember anything that was taught?

Yes. The sin thing.


Do you understand God or people better because of it?

I hope so. There are sinful areas in our life that we are both aware, and unaware of; the initial reaction is to not let go of the sin because it will cost you somehow; there is sin that we enjoy and don't WANT to get rid of; there are areas in our life where we think that a little bit of sin won't hurt us, or if we keep sin "hidden" that nobody will know and it still won't hurt us. The sacrifice that Jesus made for me, and paid for me, is so beyond my comprehension; there are no words that adequately describe how that makes me feel...


Did it make you feel like you wanted to preach someday yourself ?

This one just makes me feel too humbled to think I could even do that.