Sharing time

Mennonites love the idea of community. And what better way to build community than giving everyone access to a microphone and letting them talk?

Sometime during a Mennonite church service, the pastor or worship leader will open the floor for the sharing of “prayer requests and praise reports" or "joys and concerns." And anyone who wants to can raise their hand, get a mike, and start sharing. Details about illnesses, pregnancies, engagements, travels, spiritual battles, your schedule from the previous week . . . it’s all fair game.

This can lead to some awkward moments. Do we really need to know about your sister-in-law’s friend’s ruptured uterus? But sharing time can also lead to some really genuine community support.

Another part of sharing time is introducing visitors. Boy, do people love to do this. Especially older people. Getting a whole pew full of your friends and family, making them stand up, naming them all for the rest of the church? Definitely a good time.

Sharing time is a mixed blessing. Every Mennonite church attendee could probably give you awkward examples of people who overshared and of the crazy characters who hog the microphone every week. But community is also a mixed blessing. You take the good and the bad and learn to deal.