What began Sunday as an exercise to help a pastoral resident nail down names and faces turned into a revealing look at what makes us unique and what draws us together.
First year pastoral resident Jordann McMahan came to Epiphany to share her faith journey and then she planned to dive into the scriptures, but first she wanted to get to know us better. She asked us each to tell our name, how long we’ve been at Wilshire, and our favorite ice cream flavor.
I was maybe the sixth person to testify, as it was, and by the time my turn came the exercise had morphed into something more. The telling of names became a sharing of personal histories and cultural influences. As we went around the room, we learned that some of us have family names, some Biblical names, some derived from saints and heroes of the past. Some have long names that sound like they were pulled out of a classic Southern novel, and some have modern, abbreviated names. It seems we all take pride in our name and what it represents: who we are, our heritage, what is important to us.
Naming our favorite Ice cream flavors quickly became a battle of brands, geographic origins and chronology. There indeed were favorite flavors — chocolate mint and butter pecan seemed the top two — but brands ranged from Blue Bell in Texas to Tillamook in Oregon. One person mentioned a Baskin-Robbins flavor from way back when, and another a custard only available in St. Louis. One member of the class had personal ties with the namesake of Wild About Harry’s custard, and still another showed their age by recalling the process and taste of hand-cranked homemade ice cream. That mention stirred a few “oohs” in the room.
The only piece of the three-question test that wasn’t competitive or played for laughs or nostalgia was how long we’ve been at Wilshire. Our Epiphany members range from mere months to 45 years, but those details were shared without boast or embellishment. And that’s one of the great things about Wilshire: longevity isn’t associated with personal importance or influence. Everyone has a place at Wilshire; everyone is valued and can have an impact regardless of when they arrived. It’s true at Wilshire because we believe it’s true in the Kingdom.
My answers when it was my turn? I’m Jeff and I’ve never been a Jeffrey because my grandfather’s middle name was Jefferson. My favorite ice cream flavor at the moment I answered was mocha almond fudge, but it might be different at another time of day or in another season. It could be I answered that way because my coffee mug was near empty. As for brand, I don’t have a preference, although LeAnn and I have a soft spot for Blue Bell because we toured their factory in Brenham during our “Texas tour” honeymoon. Go ahead and laugh if you wish.
And, I’ve been at Wilshire 35 years, but like I said, that doesn’t give me special privileges or influence. It just means I’ve seen some changes — some I’ve liked and some not so much — with none of the latter rising to the level of me wanting to seek fellowship elsewhere. I’ve stayed put and been blessed by the Wilshire community with all its unique names and flavors.
A final note: The sharing went long and we never did get to the Bible study, but Jordann will be back in a few weeks and we’ll look forward to that. But before we headed down to worship, epiphany member Charlie Fuller, who directs Wilshire’s Pathways to Ministry program, reminded us to add a photo to our profile on the church’s OnRealm member website. That helps our pastoral residents match names with faces and get to know us better. My profile already had a photo but it was probably 10 years old, so I uploaded one that’s more current. It’s easy to do.