State of the Coffee, Part II

(Backstory: on Hymns Triumphant Sunday, the committee forgot the grounds in the regular coffee, brewing instead an extra urn of hot water. Whoops!)

This is my seventh Presidential opening, and though this job comes with its own sort of pressure, I’ve been enjoying the challenge so far. The feedback I’ve been getting has been encouraging – thank you for that. Well, that is until last Sunday between services, when suddenly a lot of people wanted me back as coffee czar. There was a missed step in the preparation of the coffee, and for a brief moment, it appeared that this “Hot Watergate” scandal was going to get me impeached. So yeah, let’s talk a little about that.

First, let me say this – in all the years I made coffee for this choir, I never had to do it while the kitchen was a recording studio for that morning’s service. With an orchestra and TWO choirs AND a full recording going on, I think that’s a busier Sunday morning sanctuary than I’ve ever had to work in. It’s a lot to deal with, especially in your first few days on the job.


And committee, even though things did go awry, it’s really not THAT big an issue. This church prepares LOTS of coffee on its Sunday morning campus – it’s not the biggest deal for us to go get coffee on the patio, especially after a service as congregationally-involved as this one. I got several compliments about the service while I was out there, which was a nice blessing AND provided some good perspective. In the scheme of things, a lot of things went RIGHT last Sunday morning, enough that we can’t get too worked up over one that went wrong.

Besides, the bible is loaded with scripture about forgiving one another. Luke 6 verse 37 says it simply: “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” So committee, we forgive you, and thanks again for stepping up when I stepped down. I’ve enjoyed my first Sundays away from the coffee job – now I can stay and listen to Fran’s postludes, rather than hustle to the fridge to get creamer. So thanks, committee, and don’t stress this too much. The official stance of this President is – we’re cool.

Let’s bow our heads. Father, we thank You for the many things that went right on Sunday morning. For the service that so wonderfully celebrated our treasured hymns, we thank You for that opportunity. Be with us tonight as we prepare our music for more services to come – may we bring You glory. In Your name we pray, Amen.