I went to a small, non-denominational, evangelical church today with a friend.
Services started at 9:30, and she suggested we meet outside the church at 9:25. That was plenty of time to have our choice of seats in the cross-shaped sanctuary, which held perhaps 140. Despite that, the place was nearly full when the service started a few minutes later. People were dressed casually, mostly in neat jeans and "business casual" tops. I saw one sweatshirt and one suit jacket. As people filed in, the band (in the "top" of the cross) warmed up.
The band is quite good. The leader of the band is called the worship-leader, which seems appropriate, because the only prayers the congregation says are the songs. They project the words on the wall, and the songs are slow enough (and have enough repetition) that everyone can join in. Most do, although most sing quietly.
The service started with a few songs, most of which I, as a Jew, was comfortable singing. I think there were four, and I left out one line of one song, skipped one song, and sang all of the other 2. The imagery was different from what I am used to. There was more visceral, or vaguely sexual imagery relating to God ("God, have your way in me", some other stuff I can't remember verbatim) than at most services I've been to. I also noticed that they prayed "May I give God my spirit", where we (Jews) would say "My spirit belongs to God" (so let me try to do the right things with it...).
Then the pastor, who had been sitting in a pew near the front, got up and welcomed us all to the church. He specifically welcomed visitors, and said that visitors should not feel like they had to contribute to the offering. (My friend had said the same thing to me when we were settling in. So I didn't contribute, although I felt a little odd about that.) He made some announcements, mostly about fellowship and ministry. There was a push for people to sign up for a couples program, and some stuff about some youth programs. Then he introduced a woman who was obviously well-known to the congregation, and she talked about the logistics of their Christmas shoe-box program this year. (The church puts together shoeboxes of Christmas gifts for needy children, which are sent around the world.)
After that, the woman prayed for the success of the various ministries, as the congregation bowed their heads and offered an "amen".
Then there was an offering, which started with a prayer for how the offering would be used, and its hoped-for success. Only the leader spoke, but again, the congregation bowed and offered an amen. The band led another song, and a couple of guys walked through the congregation with collection plates. The guy who walked by me paused long enough that I could have given, but not so long as to be awkward that I didn't. A lot of congregants give on-line, and perhaps half put something in the plate.
The church offers communion, but only on the first Sunday of the months, so that wasn't part of this service.
Then the pastor delivered his sermon. This was the focal point of the service, and took about half of the total time. As he spoke, the band left the stage discretely, and came around and joined the congregation from the back of the room.
He sermon was focused on a handful of verses from Romans, and he talked about pride and humility, and how even people will low self esteem benefit from Christian humility. He talked about how we live in a consumer culture, and some people come to "get" a service, but we ought to be part of the body of the church, through Christ. He talked about the importance of taking on ministry, and joining the "small groups" the church organizes. I would have called the "small groups" study groups or classes. This church offers a wide range of small groups that meet to study and discuss various scripture-inspired topics. Some are for men, some for women, and some are mixed-sex.
One part of the sermon that interested me was that he talked about how we each have a measure of faith, and that measure varies from person to person, and it is a gift from God, and we should not be proud or ashamed of the measure we were given. He illustrated this with a set of measuring cups. :-) But I think it is a profound truth that is not always recognized that different people have varying degrees of religiosity, and this may be the first time I've heard anyone talk about that from the pulpit.
After the sermon, the band came forward from the pews, and led a final song, after which the pastor gave a benediction as the congregation again bowed. We were all invited to coffee afterwards. The pastor walked out slowly, and greeted most of the congregants, as well as me.
My friend introduced me to several people there and we went to the coffee. I didn't actually notice any coffee, but there was a wide variety of tasty pot-luck baked goods in a room that had advertisements for the various small groups posted on the walls. (there was probably coffee, too. I didn't actually look for it.) I met a few more people, and talked with some of them about the small groups, and about my background before heading home. Everyone invited me to come back. My friend also invited me to come to a small group with her. I pointed out that that sounded like a commitment, and not like consuming a service. She suggested that while it is a commitment for members, it might not have to be for a guest, so perhaps I will do that.
Services started at 9:30, and she suggested we meet outside the church at 9:25. That was plenty of time to have our choice of seats in the cross-shaped sanctuary, which held perhaps 140. Despite that, the place was nearly full when the service started a few minutes later. People were dressed casually, mostly in neat jeans and "business casual" tops. I saw one sweatshirt and one suit jacket. As people filed in, the band (in the "top" of the cross) warmed up.
The band is quite good. The leader of the band is called the worship-leader, which seems appropriate, because the only prayers the congregation says are the songs. They project the words on the wall, and the songs are slow enough (and have enough repetition) that everyone can join in. Most do, although most sing quietly.
The service started with a few songs, most of which I, as a Jew, was comfortable singing. I think there were four, and I left out one line of one song, skipped one song, and sang all of the other 2. The imagery was different from what I am used to. There was more visceral, or vaguely sexual imagery relating to God ("God, have your way in me", some other stuff I can't remember verbatim) than at most services I've been to. I also noticed that they prayed "May I give God my spirit", where we (Jews) would say "My spirit belongs to God" (so let me try to do the right things with it...).
Then the pastor, who had been sitting in a pew near the front, got up and welcomed us all to the church. He specifically welcomed visitors, and said that visitors should not feel like they had to contribute to the offering. (My friend had said the same thing to me when we were settling in. So I didn't contribute, although I felt a little odd about that.) He made some announcements, mostly about fellowship and ministry. There was a push for people to sign up for a couples program, and some stuff about some youth programs. Then he introduced a woman who was obviously well-known to the congregation, and she talked about the logistics of their Christmas shoe-box program this year. (The church puts together shoeboxes of Christmas gifts for needy children, which are sent around the world.)
After that, the woman prayed for the success of the various ministries, as the congregation bowed their heads and offered an "amen".
Then there was an offering, which started with a prayer for how the offering would be used, and its hoped-for success. Only the leader spoke, but again, the congregation bowed and offered an amen. The band led another song, and a couple of guys walked through the congregation with collection plates. The guy who walked by me paused long enough that I could have given, but not so long as to be awkward that I didn't. A lot of congregants give on-line, and perhaps half put something in the plate.
The church offers communion, but only on the first Sunday of the months, so that wasn't part of this service.
Then the pastor delivered his sermon. This was the focal point of the service, and took about half of the total time. As he spoke, the band left the stage discretely, and came around and joined the congregation from the back of the room.
He sermon was focused on a handful of verses from Romans, and he talked about pride and humility, and how even people will low self esteem benefit from Christian humility. He talked about how we live in a consumer culture, and some people come to "get" a service, but we ought to be part of the body of the church, through Christ. He talked about the importance of taking on ministry, and joining the "small groups" the church organizes. I would have called the "small groups" study groups or classes. This church offers a wide range of small groups that meet to study and discuss various scripture-inspired topics. Some are for men, some for women, and some are mixed-sex.
One part of the sermon that interested me was that he talked about how we each have a measure of faith, and that measure varies from person to person, and it is a gift from God, and we should not be proud or ashamed of the measure we were given. He illustrated this with a set of measuring cups. :-) But I think it is a profound truth that is not always recognized that different people have varying degrees of religiosity, and this may be the first time I've heard anyone talk about that from the pulpit.
After the sermon, the band came forward from the pews, and led a final song, after which the pastor gave a benediction as the congregation again bowed. We were all invited to coffee afterwards. The pastor walked out slowly, and greeted most of the congregants, as well as me.
My friend introduced me to several people there and we went to the coffee. I didn't actually notice any coffee, but there was a wide variety of tasty pot-luck baked goods in a room that had advertisements for the various small groups posted on the walls. (there was probably coffee, too. I didn't actually look for it.) I met a few more people, and talked with some of them about the small groups, and about my background before heading home. Everyone invited me to come back. My friend also invited me to come to a small group with her. I pointed out that that sounded like a commitment, and not like consuming a service. She suggested that while it is a commitment for members, it might not have to be for a guest, so perhaps I will do that.
Peppermint Patty goes to a non-denominational evangelical church
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