WORSHIP
By BETSY SWETENBURG
WORSHIP
F i rst wo rd s
BAPTIST
A n ew c h a p te r of t h e wo rs h i p co l u m n
H
ow do you find the right first words? For so many years, this column has been filled exclusively by G eorge Mason’s insights and wisdom. What is there to say but thank you? For years, G eorge has taken his w o r k o u t s i d e t h e c h u r c h s o t h at even those of us beyond his congregation may come to know something of the holy in our neighborhood. George’s commitment to this column is just one testament to the fact that he has spent his career not only as an exceptional pastor but also as a good neighbor. Neighborliness should not be c o n f u s e d f o r c o m m o n d e c e n c y. Common decency is waving from y o u r f r o n t p o r c h a s y o u t a ke i n your morning paper and smiling at those you pass on the sidewalk as you walk your dog. T hose are respectable things, but those are not neighborly things. Being a good neighbor is much more work than being pleasant to those in your line of sight. It ’s a commitment to asking two questions over and over again. First, “who is my neighbor?” as in “who is living around me? Do I know them?” Second, “ how can I love my neighbor?” or “ how can I live in solidarity with my neighbor?” Being a good neighbor is anything but passive. It’s a commitment to living beyond your own self-interests.
Good neighbors are keenly aware of how their actions impact their larger neighborhood, so they can’t help but think about their neighbors as they determine how they’ ll vote and what social policies they want to support and how they want to spend their money in the community. B e i n g a go o d n e i g h b o r i s fi r s t about knowing your neighbor and then living in a way that lets your neighbor know they are loved. G ood neighbors wave from the front porch as they collect their morning paper and then go sit at their dining room tables and think about the person they just waved to as they read the paper. They wonder how the news of the day is impacting those around them. Good neighbors want to ensure that the welcoming smiles e xchanged by dogwalkers on the sidewalk are more than common decency. It’s simply the byproduct of a neighborhood filled with good neighbors. And luckily for us, if we need an example, we have G eorge right in our neighborhood who has shown us for years what it means to be a good neighbor. So what is there to say but thank you? B E TSY SW E T E N B U R G i s p a s t o r o f Northridge Presbyterian Church and a regular contributor to the Advocate’s Wo r s h i p C o l u m n . To h e l p s u p p o r t t h e Wo rs h i p C o l u m n , e m a i l s a l e s @
PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org
Bible Study 9:15 / Worship Services 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500 WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100
Pastor George A. Mason / Worship at 9 & 11 a.m. Sunday School at 10 a.m. / wilshirebc.org
BIBLE CHURCHES NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.
214.348.9697 / Sun: LifeQuest 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / Sun: Youth 6-8 pm/Wed: AWANA 6-8 pm
DISCIPLES OF CHRIST EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185
Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel 10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org
E P I S C O PA L ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH / stjd.org
Worship: Sat 5:30 pm, Sun 8 & 10:30 am / Christian Ed Sunday Morning & Weekdays, see calendar on website / 214.321.6451 / 848 Harter Rd.
LUTHERAN CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road
A Welcoming and Affirming Church / Rev. K.M. Truhan Sunday School 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / CentralLutheran.org FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA) / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.
Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org
METHODIST FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH RICHARDSON
503 N Central Exwy / fumcr.com / 972.235.8385 / Dr. Clayton Oliphint 8:45, 9:45, 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Modern LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com
Sunday Morning 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am coffee Worship 8:30 am & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary
PRESBYTERIAN LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133
8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org 9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional NORTHPARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / Summer Worship at 10:00 a.m.
www.northparkpres.org / 9555 N. Central Expy. / 214.363.5457 Welcoming Seekers, Thinkers and Doers. NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Sunday Worship 10:00 am Church that feels like church and welcomes like family. PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH/ 4124 Oak Lawn Ave Sunday Worship 9:00 & 11:00 A.M. To all this church opens wide her doors - pcpc.org
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