For years, a Sunday night ritual in our family was taking the garbage cans down to the curb so that on Monday morning Chip the garbage man could wildly swing them in the general direction of the Rumpke truck and dispose of our accumulated junk. It was important to remember trash day because no one wanted to smell chicken bones for an extra week. 

It was also an occasion for entertainment--sometimes Chip refused to take something not bundled or wrapped to his liking (sending my mother into fits of fury) and once a squirrel jumped out of the trash can and scared him out of his skin (delighting the entire Taylor family).

First Christian Church in Washington, PA--a Disciples congregation--probably generates its own piles of trash by the end of each weekend, but this past Sunday they disposed of a different kind of mess. FCC dumped its garbage--accumulated resentments, hurts, anger, and pettiness--during a special ceremony yesterday.

An article in the local Observer-Reporter says the church members wrote their feelings on scraps of paper, then threw the papers in a large garbage can on the church altar during Sunday morning services. The ceremony is part of the church's "Attitude Adjustment Month" and key to its healing after years of bitterness and fighting.

"The church interior was destroyed by arson in 1997," the article reports. "Afterwards, disagreements arose over its rebuilding and ministry. But Felty (the church's transitional minister) noted that the congregation has made progress in overcoming its differences and he wants people to know that....Other events planned for this month include a service of reconsecration of church facilities Aug. 19. On Aug. 26, a service of healing and reconciliation will be held."

That's all I know about this story, but kudos to Felty and FCC's other leaders. Whether it's rotting chicken or festering resentment, it's good to get rid of trash on Sunday.