Westside Church

November 07, 2009
by Pastor Jeremiah

As I was driving home from work one afternoon, I was amused by a church sign that simply read “Pet Blessing Service”. I had a few laughs at envisioning just what a pet blessing service looked like. After all, what do you do at a pet blessing service? Sit, roll over, shake, good dog! Maybe you could serve communion with an assortment of bird seed, meow mix, and milk bones. I began to wonder if I would be allowed to worship with my pet horse in attendance with me. If I opened up a church for animals, I thought, I would name it “the ark”. After all, if we are looking for scriptural evidence to support God's love for animals, we need look no further than Genesis 6. He was willing to save far more animals than humans in that particular scenario, so maybe God is trying to tell me something here. Hmm...

Apparently, church for animals is all the rage these days. A recent article by the associated press, revealed a growing trend in dog services and pet blessings. It has become something of a revival among pet enthusiasts. To be honest, I was a little disturbed at first. What a colossal distraction, if not a complete waste of time. However, as I kept reading the article, I realized that it wasn't about the pets, it was about the people. Most of these services are held by dying congregations. Pastors have become desperate to reach people and they have become creative in the process. Everyone knows that desperation is the mother of creativity. These pastors have reached out to the pet enthusiasts in the world and God bless them in their efforts. I suppose Paul's “becoming all things to all people to save some” applies in this scenario. After all, it's the people who need saving. We can rest assured that “All Dogs go to heaven.”

Optional names for pet services:

Daniel's Den
Animal house
Angel's wings (for bird lovers)
Jonah's swim team (for fish enthusiasts)

Possible pet service sermon titles:

“The Animal names of God: Lion, Dove, White Horse, etc”
“If God can speak through Balaam's ass he can speak through my Cocker Spaniel.”
“No snakes allowed!”
“Adam hath named thee”

*If you are looking for a church in Seattle we would love to have you check out Westside this weekend!