Will we show friendliness and kindness or will our behaviour speak rejection to others? Don’t underestimate the power of a moment to speak life or to put down. Please let’s think first before any interactions with those we meet in church we may be the only person that individual speaks to that morning. When you’re feeling vulnerable the lies and feelings of low self-worth come thick and fast. To be honest, after a similar interaction, I felt worthless and that I didn’t belong. It’s happened to all of us, right? I can only imagine how a newcomer or super-sensitive person would have felt after that uncomfortable exchange. “Oh, ok,” you squeak weakly, feeling ever so foolish – even though those seats HAD BEEN EMPTY no Bibles or bags on them – and retreat hastily to the back of the church. Just as you’re about to plonk down your bag and take your seat you hear the most horrifying words: “Ooo sorry, I’m saving those seats for so-and-so!” No: “Oh hello, good morning, how are you?” Simply: “I’ve saved those seats for someone else.” So you tentatively approach a couple of free seats on the fourth row near someone you kind of know. At the same time, you don’t want to sit all by yourself in the completely empty rows. The front is not an option when you’re going through crises the front seems unsafe and makes you feel vulnerable. You head into the room/church/sanctuary looking for somewhere to sit.

Picture this: it’s Sunday morning, and you’re having one of those days when you really don’t feel like going to church. Having spent most of my life attending a variety of churches in different parts of the country as well as abroad, I think I’m suitably qualified to assess some of the annoying things that occur within this wonderful, frustrating, diverse community we call Church.Īnd in case you’re wondering, faux pas is the same in both the singular and plural, you just pronounce the ‘s’ in the plural… yup, I did look it up.

Faux pas plural meaning