Monday, February 2, 2009

What's Your "Groundhog Day"?


On this day in 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist, is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring.


Historical background of Groundhog Day includes:


  • Rooted in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas Day, where clergy blessed and distributed candles for winter; the candles represented how long and could winter would be

  • Germans expanded on the idea by selecting the hedgehog as a means of predicting weather

  • German settlers to America in Pennsylvania continued the tradition, switching to the groundhogs as hedgehogs weren't available

  • Groundhogs do emerge from hibernation in February, but only to look for a mate before going underground again

  • They come out of hibernation for good in March

  • In 1887 an enterprising newspaper editor declared that Phil, the Punxsutawaney groundhog, was America's only true weather-forecasting groundhog

  • Phil and his descendants might be the most famous, but many towns across North America now have their own meteorology Marmota monax

  • The 1993 movie "Groundhog Day" popularized the usage of "groundhog day" to mean something that is repeated over and over

Unfortunately, there are a lot of scary parallels in the church world:


  • Do you have ongoing traditions from the past that had original meaning but have now lost that meaning?

  • Have you adapted your traditions to fit the culture of your community?

  • Are your traditions based on something that no longer is relevant?

  • Do you market your traditions on their own merits, or are you exploiting them?

  • Are your traditions the same as a half-dozen other churches in your town?

  • Do your traditions have a life of their own, long-ago outliving their original useful purpose?

While you may view this post as "anti-tradition", neither it nor I am! I love history and tradition - I have minors in history at the graduate and post-graduate levels, study history all the time, and know that it can be a powerful teacher.


Our history should be a bridge to the future, not an anchor to the past.


Churches should be students of their past - but also their present, in order to help write their future. Can you as a church leader understand and appreciate the history of your church and its traditions? At the same time, are you a cultural anthropologist of your community, understanding what's going on today? Combining the two will give you and your leadership team a solid foundation for future opportunities!

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