It’s Sunday morning and the faithful have gathered. The faithful is what we call the church goers because of their faithful attendance and their claims to being faithful to the Word of God (the Bible). Hometown Friends Church is just one group in a larger network around the world and throughout the community.

My wife and I always sit with her parents. They are always there before us and save a spot just one pew from the back and a little left of center. My father-in-law would not be comfortable with anything described as “left of center,” but it’s probably a good spot for me to sit.

How are the faithful looking this week?

A Christian school up the road a little more than a mile has been in the news. It’s not the way the faithful want to draw attention to themselves. Charges have been brought against a couple of guys who had been coaching at the school—sexual misconduct. When something like this happens it’s pretty embarrassing. Some respond with humble dismay and resolve to work harder to prevent reoccurrence of this type of thing. Another reaction is a vehement, bombastic response that makes me afraid someone is trying to create a space that doesn’t exist between them and the behavior they are condemning.

A few out-of-towners sit with relatives they are visiting for Thanksgiving. I know some of these guests and I start picking out the ones I want to trying to greet at the end of the service.

The faithful like a predictable formula that includes music, some opportunity for congregational participation, and a message from the pastor. Some people really engage with one aspect or another. Others put their minds on autopilot and drift through the hour. At Hometown Friends Church there are four exit doors out of the sanctuary, so no one has to shake the pastor’s hand and say, “Good sermon,” as they conclude their faithful weekly ritual.