Meditations for New Members

By June J. McInerney

This collection of meditations was written specifically for new church members, who often face a bewildering series of emotions. June McInerney, who, because of a variety of transitions in her life, has been a new church member eight times, writes for those who are either coming back to church after a long absence or are exploring life in a new congregation. This compact and helpful book touches on a variety of subjects including: dealing with new or different church traditions, finding companionship in a new community, discernment, stewardship, healing, and much more. All of the volumes in the Faithful Servant Series feature meditations based on quotes from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer or the 1982 Hymnal. Designed with the church budget in mind, these affordable books acknowledge important passages and ministries in the life of the people of God.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0819218219
• ISBN13: 9780819218216
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Morehouse Publishing
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 4.6" x 5.9"

Customer Reviews

New beginnings...

Joining a new church can be a confusing, bewildering experience. This is true regardless of whether or not you have moved to a new church of the same denomination or of a different one; you may have moved to a new church in the same community, or in another part of the country (or, indeed, the world). Regardless of the reason for the move (or it may be that you are rejoining a church after a period of time away), there will be times where you'll wonder what's going on, why things are happening as they are, and if this community is the one for you. Some churches offer new member classes, training, support groups, etc. Some do not. In either case, this book by June McInerney is a good companion along the way. A creative writer (poetry, fiction, music), McInerney writes with grace and style brief meditations. Most are derivative of biblical verses and images, but a few come from hymn texts, passages out of the Book of Common Prayer and other such texts. The book is designed specifically for Anglican types, so the occasional reference will be in the direction of liturgical churches will filter in; however, this perspective is not a dominant theme, for even with the Anglican communion there are such radically different styles of churches that no book intended for general use such as McInerney's could afford to be specific in a directive sort of way. The author does draw on personal experiences both in and out of worship, as well as some insights from others along the way, so there is no lack of specific stories and events. There are several dozen meditations, which cover topics including stewardship, vocation, feeling included or excluded, feeling sad, feeling guilty, feeling lost - McInerney does a good job at covering the range of situations and emotions that might occur for the newcomer. Each meditation is only two pages long (and small pages at that), but do not be deceived by the small format, for from the small acorn the mighty oak will grow. McInerney concludes the book by reprinting a few standard prayers (Psalm 46, the prayer of St. Francis) as well as a series of four New Members prayers of her own creation. This is a handy little book, and one that pastors should consider as gifts to the newcomer to their churches, and one that those new to churches themselves would do well to read.