An Old Church Program

 

We do not know the exact origin of paper church programs.  We guess that they were an offshoot of the Anglican Parish newsletters, which began in the late 19th century.  With the invention of the mimeograph machine, more churches used them, since they were cheap to reproduce.  Either way we will reflect on an old church program we found in our possessions. - ed.

An individual named Wendy wrote about the mimeograph:

"Once ubiquitous, these machines ushered in an era in which it became possible for individuals and organizations, including clubs, fraternal organizations, churches, and schools, to quickly, easily, and cheaply produce reproductions of printed matter. Prior to a series of inventions in the late 1800s (Eugenio de Zuccato’s Papyrograph, Thomas Edison’s Autographic Printing process, and David Gestetner’s Automatic Cyclostyle) copies were made by hand or, after the invention of the typewriter and carbon paper in the early 1800s, by the method that allowed a few extra duplicates of an original to be made in one typing pass. What Gutenberg’s moveable-type method of printing did for the publishing industry, the “mimeograph” did for creators of works more ephemeral than books and broadsides. Advertisements, newsletters, bulletins, worksheets, and of course zines were created and multiplied with the help of stencil and spirit duplicators. Though that most temporary of printed-materials, the newspaper, was printed first by letterpress, then by linotype and lithography, these same technologies were not conducive to small-scale, small print-run projects. They also required training for the specialized skills needed to operate the machinery; on top of that, the machinery was expensive, necessitating sometimes significant capital investment, and it was unwieldy, generally requiring a dedicated printshop far beyond the means or interest of an individual or small group whose main goal was not the printing process itself, but for whom the distribution of house-printed matter could be extremely helpful." https://www.mimeographrevival.com/

Who decided that a congregation needed printed paper "programs" to indicate the "order of worship"?  Apart from the Apostolic command that all things are to be decently and in order, we are not told of any specific order of service.  There is none.  It is all very Catholic and Anglican.  It is formalized worship.

First Mimeograph Machines

But we will focus on the contents of this church program.  TO further fragment families we read, "To care for your children, a nursey school...is provided.  This church is better than most since it allows families to "keep your children with you".  What a novel idea!  Instead of a hymn book, all the music is contained in the program.  The words and music are both listed.  There is no concept that the hymns should be chosen by the congregation, as the Spirit leads them.  No.  Some individual who knows better than the Spirit, has chosen  the songs to be sung by the congregation; even the order of the music.

As we further explore this program, we see a heading titled "Approaching God".  It is a "corporate prayer".  This is a euphemism for the repeating rote prayer together outloud.  After this, the congregant is asked to pray silently and confess.  Then another hymn is sung chosen by an unidentified individual.  After this we are asked to "Welcome One Another" by repeating the magic mantra "The peace of the Lord be with you" to which the congregants are to respond saying in unison, ":And also with you".  There is then a scripture reading, again chosen by an individual.  In this case it is from Deuteronomy 5, the ten commandments.  Why this is being read to born again Christians is a mystery to us, unless it is to reinforce legalistic thinking.  Right before the minister is to deliver his sermon, there is a "prayer of humiliation".  Humiliation??  What does that mean??  Are believers who are in Christ to be humiliated or humiliate themselves?  There is no mention of our duty to humiliate ourselves in the New Testament.  Yes we are advised to humble ourselves; to consider our other brothers are above us, but this is not the same as humiliation!  This prayer of humiliation is to be said by the "Worship Leader".  What is a worship leader?  Where is this office mentioned in the New Testament?  After the sermon by a pastor who claims to be a "church planter", another unidentified activity in the New Testament, based on a faulty understanding of certain chapters in I Corinthians.  We fail to understand how any man can plant a church if only God can give the increase.  But it does not matter.  The only Church planter we know about is Christ himself.

But after the sermon we are not done!  The "worship leader has prayers for the congregants to repeat.  There is the prayer "for the person searching for truth": "Jesus, You said that You have come into the world as light so that broken people such as I would not remain in darkness.  Please help me see the beauty of Your words and grant me the faith to believe and follow you.  Amen".   Here is an unbeliever asking for faith?  One must already be born again before he can see or feel any desire for true faith.

Then there is the "prayer of faith": "Lord Jesus Christ, I admit I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but, through you, am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope.  I thank you for paying my debt, bearing my punishment, and offering forgiveness.  I turn from my sins and receive you as my Savior and Lord.  Amen.  Here, the unbeliever apparently knows he is loved by Jesus.  But only born again believers can feel this love truly.

No doubt, the individuals who composed this program thought they were doing God a service.  We do not judge them.  But we can judge a practice.  Brethren, no wonder many people are leaving churches - they are looking for something beyond these ritual practiced every Sunday.