Church at St. Marks

This morning we went to St. Marks Church for services. The place was packed. They do two services; one at 10 and one at 12. I am told that both are filled. The music was rocking. The service kept moving with no down time. The word given by Pastor Sean Mullarkey was interesting and applicable. There was no shortage of hands to shake. Folks who saw "first timer" on our expression made a bee-line to us to greet us and offer assistance. A nice lady led us to two open seats near the front even though we said we were okay. That was pretty cool. After the service, several asked if we had been to the hospitality room and finally after some friendly but persistent persuasion we consented to go. There we were served some tea and biscuits (cookies to us in Oklahoma). Several people introduced themselves and in a friendly non-nosy way found that we came from Oklahoma to attend the passing of the torch festivities, and that we had a few days to explore Dublin. We were given some good tips concerning the public transportation, places we shouldn't miss, and the names of good places to eat or get coffee nearby. Never did it seem intrusive or none-of -their-business. They just seemed genuinely interested in us having a quality time during our visit to a church they loved nestled in a city they loved. They informed us of services and prayer meetings held mid-week and made sure that we knew that we were welcome to attend them as well. All in all it was a very good visitor experience and I shall take some of the ideas collected here to my home church. What they did during the service they did well, but it wasn't anything that would cause 5-600 people to come every week. What fills the place is the combination of the excellence of the planning and execution combined with the genuine love and acceptance of everyone in the place through the love and saving grace of Jesus. A combination like that will not fail to grow.

After service Carole & I walked for several hours around Dublin. Most places are closed on Sunday so we mostly scouted around to get ready for tomorrow. We did, however, find a great Chinese buffet and we learned that at Starbucks in Ireland you get your coffee in a real cup if you plan to drink it there. A few extra centuries of civilization makes a lot of difference.