Eucharist as Sunday Brunch

EUCHARIST AS SUNDAY BRUNCH

This morning I attended the 10:30 Eucharist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in the Queen Anne section of Seattle. It was a well-done, Anglo-catholic liturgy, and I picked up several ideas that should translate to my not-so-Anglo-catholic congregation back home, and I enjoyed observing several others that would not. The congregation was pretty large, for July, all ages of people, mostly white. Not one man wore a tie (Seattle is a very casual town.)

Afterwards, I strolled around the corner to a hip bar/restaurant with a southwestern flair, which was serving Sunday brunch. It was packed. Nearly all the patrons were in their 20’s, and I never saw a better-looking assembly. They were likewise casually dressed, often in groups of couples or same-sex friends, clearly enjoying the beautiful summer day, the colorful ambience of the setting, good food and drink, and one another. While I enjoyed my bacon eggs benedict with salsa and the excellent Seattle coffee, I had the opportunity to make some observations.

· We are a prosperous society, and that has all kinds of ramifications. (Of course, alongside of that, we are also an impoverished society, too. That has ramifications as well. The poor (though not the poorest) may be more likely than the prospering to attend church—but they are not more likely to attend the Episcopal Church. Thus, I will confine this entry to consideration of the needs and wants of the better-heeled.) These young people may not be wealthy, indeed, they may have trouble making ends meet. But they live in an expensive town, and they have enough cash or credit to blow $15 on a Sunday brunch. Their lifestyle assumes that money is relatively easy to come by. They have pretty refined, or at least fashionable, tastes, and they believe that they deserve to indulge them.

· This niche of people probably works hard (by their standards), and they value relaxation, pleasure without responsibility, and socialization on their off-time.

· None of them were in church with me. O. K., they could have gone to 8:00 somewhere, but I am betting not. Are they, therefore, unreachable by the church? Are those young adults who were in church categorically different from their peers? (I’m betting not on that, too.) What kind of church, then, might appeal to these brunchers, if they could be persuaded to give TEC a try sometime?

· It would have to be sensually pleasurable. It may not matter a whole lot what its style is, but it must have one, and that style must be carried out consistently and with careful attention to detail, just as the restaurant did. Florescent lighting is not acceptable! The worship space must be welcoming and beautiful. I do suspect that some trendy elements that label the liturgy as hip and fashion-conscious would be well-received by this group.

· It must be casual-friendly. Young people are going to wear shorts and sandals, or they are not going to attend.

· The atmosphere must either provide new friends to hang out with, or it must welcome/encourage young adults to bring their existing friends with them without barriers, like not being able to receive communion.

· Friends would not attend because they “ought” to go to church. They might attend for a good show and an entertaining message.

· Attendees must enjoy their time there. It is not at all about duty, because this is a sliver of society that does not believe in duty. They will come around to generosity and service as they experience those things as being fair to others and of benefit to themselves.

· Hospitality is paramount. Greeters and Coffee Hour hosts are critical to the possibility of a second visit. The coffee had better be good, and the snacks classy. After all, these folks are spending valuable R&R time here, and they could just as well go to brunch.

· Maybe some kind of informal after-worship brunch group would give them an added incentive to attend Eucharist. After all, who wants to brunch alone?