Planning Prayers

I recently attended a fundraiser. Actually I attended a few fundraisers in the past few weeks.  I think spring must be fundraiser time, if there is such a time.  Summer isn't good because people are traveling.  Fall isn't good because not only is it time for the start of school, but many summer sports programs are ending and have their banquets.  Then comes Christmas and people are giving to holiday charities. Yes, spring is the time.  New budgets, new flowers; everything is new and so most people have room to give money for something other than themselves.  You know...if you have read any of my blog...I love to be in on the planning of these events because that is where the fun happens. If I am not there for the planning, I always try to imagine how it went to get to the final product we are witness to. Dinner or not dinner. That is the first question. If we serve food are people more or less likely to give?  Sit down dinner or buffet?  Free dinner or charge money? Big money or cheap? Table sponsor or individual tickets? Silent auction, live auction, or both?  Keynote speaker or slideshow, or heaven forbid...both? And in the case of my most recent fundraiser, open bar or cash bar? They chose cash bar. $7 for a glass of wine, $5 for domestic beer, wow! Nothing too good for the kids! Yes, it was a fundraiser for a Christian private school. That was a first for me but maybe someone thought if the people drink more they will be eager to bid more.  We were served a sit-down dinner of both chicken and beef, no choice here.  Whichever one you don't want just leave on the plate to waste as we raise money for the more fortunate.  I wondered how much of my $50 to attend the fundraiser was going to pay for the meal since I didn't notice the hotel caterer as a sponsor. To start the meal, they invited the pastor of this large church to say a blessing for the meal. It was during his prayer that I came to a greater appreciation of our prayer book. Somewhere in the Book of Common Prayer there must be a dedication for school prayer, and a prayer for the blessing of a meal. Even though the book has many great prayers, we can actually say our own prayers, but when called on to pray for a large group on the spot, the book helps us stay on track. Here is the pastor's prayer, or at least my favorite part from it. Remember he was supposed to simply pray a blessing for the meal, but then he improvised.

"and Lord, we give thanks for this school. All the great things this school is. And Lord God, we know that our school is not perfect, it has many flaws, but God, it reflects who you are, and so we are thankful."

I am pretty sure in most Christian churches God is perfect and without flaws. I am also pretty sure that's not what he meant, but sometimes the prayer book wins. Sometimes planning is good, and sometimes God's grace extends even to Pastors.