Monmouth has changed. Monmouth continues to change. No one knows this better than the folks who have lived here all their lives. Depending on who you ask, some of the changes have been for the better and many have not. I was thinking about this on Sunday afternoon, as I looked at a couple of old supper club menus my mother dropped off.
One menu was from The Flamingo in Silvis. The other was from Marando's in Milan. Both were circa 1960. Some of you may remember... Prime Rib $3.50 African Lobster $3.50 Frog Legs $3.50 Orange Glazed Duckling $3.50 Chicken Livers $2.50 Deep Sea Scallops $2.35 Children's Lobster Tail $1.25 Large Shrimp Cocktail $1.00 I'm guessing Meling's had a comparable menu in those days. Sadly, those days are gone. I don't know of any restaurant, where you can still order lobster tail off the child's menu.
Mind you, mourning the passing of the great supper clubs is not only about the prices for me. It is about the culture. Excellent food. Excellent service. Excellent prices. When the supper clubs thrived, there was a culture of quality, accessible to most everyone. The menus were "exotic". Where can you get chicken livers or frog legs today? Not to mention, each club offered their own unique experience. Life, or at least dining out, was better when the supper clubs thrived. The world has turned.
Today, with a few notable exceptions, I really don't enjoy eating out, even when someone else is paying. There are few places where you can hit the trifecta. If one is lucky enough to find excellent food, the price is usually a premium and it seems almost anywhere service is hit or miss. On the rare occasion one finds all three, the experience is often lessened by the inappropriate attire of the other customers or the behavior of their feral children. The world has turned.
Can we "do church" in this new culture? In the days ahead, as you buy your groceries, pick up a few things at Shopko, or dine in a local establishment, look at the people around you. This is our mission field. Many of them may have church homes, but those that don't are our prospective members. How many look like the Presbyterians of your childhood? The world has turned. The culture in which our congregation thrived is no more. However, people need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, nonetheless.
We no longer live in a county populated predominately by Scottish Presbyterians. Our schools no longer reinforce the importance of reading the Bible and teaching our children to pray. Our college is no longer a pipeline of Presbyterians. Our culture is no longer Christian.
People of faith, it is right to lament the passing of historic Presbyterianism in our community. Our quality of life has lost much with the decline of the Presbyterian church. However, while we may lament, we must remember lament always leads us to a new understanding and appreciation for the presence of God and God's power to bring salvation.
We cannot deny the world has turned. How will we minister, as
Presbyterians, in this new world? How will we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to those whose lives are focused elsewhere? How will we continue to find ways to welcome others into our life together, even if they don't seem very Presbyterian?
People of faith, God is yet working to bring salvation in this new world in which we live. How may we be a part of it?
