Rock the Whimsy

by Eddie Pipkin

I was flying back from Boston last weekend, and the day had been a little stressful because my phone had decided to blow up at the most inconvenient of times. I got to the terminal and just wanted to catch my breath in the hour before the plane was boarding. That would mean finding a way to check out from the noise and hubbub of the mass of humanity awaiting their flights, and I was prepared to employ all my strategies for securing a little distance and a little privacy, when . . . what? Rocking chairs?!?!?! Logan Airport had a side passage with windows looking out over the runways and a row of old school white rocking chairs! And one was magically available for lil’ ol’ me. You can change someone’s life if you give them a soul-refreshing place to sit a spell.

I’m all about the fun, which you will know if you have read this blog for any time at all. I think local churches should be welcoming places where joy is at the forefront and laughter is encouraged. I think any design element that can bring a smile to a person’s face and help them relax and feel comfortable like they’re in a family and that the outrageous joy of the Gospel is alive and active is a good thing. This can come in large statements. This can come in small surprises as well.

This is a favorite theme, and I have written about it on more than one occasion.

I was gratified to see one of my favorite local congregations incorporate the concepts of fun and laughter into their “Statement of Values.” My friends at College Park United Methodist Church in Central Florida, in addition to their commitment to Community, Authenticity, Curiosity, and Inclusiveness, include this proclamation:

“We believe in having fun! We connect through joy, humor, and laughter in all we do.”

I love that. It claims an attitude in contrast to the fuddy-duddy, straightlaced, deadly serious reputation that the church has long carried. So, cultivate that spirit of playfulness and mirth, that permission to indulge in holy laughter. Lord knows, people are hungry for it.

This can be done through hosting events that encourage people to interact while having fun, through communal games and sign-alongs, friendly competitions, and opportunities to celebrate one another. Put on parties and pot-lucks, and invite the entire neighborhood. Coordinate creative events that allow people to express themselves in ways that are bright, colorful, optimistic, and full of life. I am a big fan of designating a “Czar of Fun,” along with a “Czar of Creativity.” Or perhaps you combine both offices, but there is serious energy generated by a designated person whose sole responsibility is to remind all of the other important leaders not to forget to smile and have a good time while they’re doing the good work of the Good News.

Whimsy, however, is subtly different from regular fun. And while the rocking chairs at Logan International Airport were indeed fun with a capital F in that they offered something very different from the airport terminal waiting experience I was expecting – not to mention a way to be a little physically active in a place where I would usually be in a slumped stupor – it was an extra level of whimsy in that they evoked a happy memory of front porches I have known and good books or long conversations accompanied by sweet iced tea and a gentle breeze.

Whimsy is a subcategory of fun with unique features:

It’s quaint; somehow old-fashioned or a throwback; it acts upon happy memories as the catalyst for connection.
It’s playful; it invites interaction, not just passive observation; it encourages you to engage.
It’s fanciful; it directly provokes the imagination; it bids us to dream a little, step out of our regular routine a little or construct alternate possibilities.

Rocking chairs in an airport check these boxes! Churches have innumerable opportunities to harness this kind of whimsy, since they are repositories of traditions, generational connections, hopes, and visions. We can give people ways to relive the old, beloved parts of their spiritual narrative while simultaneously giving them new ways to imagine their story. This can be done through art. It can be done through story sharing. It can be done through shared service and joyful worship.

It can even be done by providing a comfortable place to sit a spell, rest, visit, relax, and commune.

One of the most productive things any local church can ever do is have some comfortable and inviting places to sit! I think about some of the churches of my youth, with those old school hard wooden benches and rooms filled with cold metal folding chairs. That’s where I did most of my spiritual apprenticeship and fellowshipping. How much better to provide as many places as possible where people can feel “at home” with their church friends or alone with their friends in a setting that is warm, peaceful, congenial and safe.

If you want to set one practical goal for your church, do an analysis of all the places where people can sit. Observe people sitting (or not sitting), what they do and how they interact in the various locations, and if you could make modifications that would change their habits. There will always be a role for folding chairs – those versatile heroes of the multi-purpose space – but there are so many other possibilities from couches to benches, high tops to beanbags. Make room for people to make room for people.

Have you seen examples of whimsy in the local church which put a smile on your face? Have you been the catalyst for such whimsical installations? Is “fun” one of the stated values of the institution that you serve? Can we take this idea too far, or do you think it’s an idea we should be practicing with more abandon? Share your comments, as always, in the comments section below.