Week 13 Preview – Roman Catholic Church

I’ll be visiting the local Catholic Church this week.

It is bigger, size wise, than any other building I’ll be visiting in my neighborhood during this project. I’ve been in this sanctuary before. It has a cruciform floor plan, meaning that the church from the air is shaped like a cross. From the inside this part of the roof is raised with a section of windows letting in natural light to warm the spectacular and polished room. It sends a message: God is big and you should be reverent.

I don’t think I’m very reverent.

There isn’t a lot of room in my life right now for ritual and routine. I’m pretty familiar with God. I talk to him without kneeling, making a sign, or memorizing prayers. They usually start out, “Hey Dad, it’s me Bob,” and then stay pretty conversational.

I respect Catholicism. It is part of my family heritage. I’ve collected some of the elements of worship that my grandparents owned that were helpful tools for them during their prayer times. I have books from some of the “desert fathers” whose writings about their pursuit of God inspire me. I really liked the last Pope and considered him a humble, caring man. I’d like to think well of the current Pope, but he looks too much like the Emperor from Star Wars for me to feel very comfortable about him.

I just finished reading Father Albert Cutié’s memoir, Dilemma: A Priest's Struggle with Faith and Love. He’s frank about his own journey, as well as what he has experienced as unhealthy and inconsistent practices in the Roman Catholic Church. (He is now a married, ordained, Episcopal Priest.) I know I’m not immune to the media’s representation of the sexual scandals that have plagued Catholicism. I seem to have more respect for nuns than I do priests. And though I view Dan Brown’s books as purely fictional, I do think the Catholic Church has real secrets that have been buried.

I participate with the Catholic Church. My wife regularly delivers boxes of food to their food pantry, as they have developed a great network of providing meals to the local poor. I pray in their small chapel as it is always open, is always quiet, and has people praying inside 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. I have friends and neighbors that are Catholics that I respect their expression of faith and treasure their devotion.

I don’t feel part of the Catholic Church, regardless of my heritage. I know they have rules about what non-Catholics can and can’t do in a service. I’m not in a place in life to jump through the necessary hoops just so I can participate in the Eucharist with them. I find it daunting and the language foreign. I read an invitation to “experience the Joy of the Lord in the Catholic Church” on their website, but then it was followed by a daunting ladder of initiation.

RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS

Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate

• This is a time for inquiry and introduction to Gospel values

Acceptance into the order of Catechumens

• This is the liturgical rite that marks the beginning of the catechumenate proper, as the precatechumens express and the Church accepts their intention to respond to God’s call to follow the way of Christ.

Period of the Catechumens

• This is the time for nurturing and growth of the catechumens’ faith and conversion to God.

Election or enrollment of names

• This is the liturgical rite by which the Church formally ratifies the catechumens’ readiness for the sacraments of initiation and the catechumens, now called the elect, express the will to receive these sacraments.

Period of purification and enlightenment

• This is the time period immediately preceding initiation into the Church.

Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation

• This is the liturgical rite, usually part of the Easter vigil, by which the elect are initiated through baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist.

Period of post baptismal catechesis

• This is the time following the celebration of initiation, during which the newly initiated experience being fully part of the Christian community and participate with all the faithful in the Sunday Eucharistic celebration.

I’ll visit the Catholic Church in my neighborhood this weekend. But I’m afraid I’ll feel like I’m on the outside.

Week 12 – Church of the Brethren

Who’s in Charge here Anyway?

Most of the churches I’ve attended, even visited, in my life have been pastored by a personality. There is nothing wrong with the spokesman having some moxie; it helps make their messages memorable. The truth is, the identity of a church is usually established by those in control; those in control are usually those in out front; those out front are usually the ones leading the way. Imagine my surprise this week when it was the pastor who appeared to have more of a back seat.

When I arrived at the front door of the Church of the Brethren I was met by a kind and gregarious greeter. As we began to interact, I wondered if he wasn’t actually the man in charge. He sure talked like this was his church. He had me sign their church guestbook, gave me some documents about the church and denomination, and gave me a preview of what the service would be like. He explained the cookie communion they all enjoy in the fellowship hall of the church following the sermon and invited me to stay and stuff myself with sweet treats.

I began to suspect this gentleman could actually be the pastor until he introduced me to the man who would later preach that day. This pastor was out in the lobby hanging out with the people and didn’t seem very concerned that the service was scheduled to start in just a few short minutes. I’m more used to pastors gathering their thoughts, energy and composure before church begins, some not even coming out of their offices or green rooms before it is show time.

My greeter friend introduced me to an usher, who gave me the impression that this was his church. He fanned his hand over the pews and told me to sit wherever I’d feel most comfortable. Halfway back seemed to fit my mood so I staked a claim to a section of the room with some other kind looking folks. I could tell that they wanted to chat with me too, but since the music was starting they held back.

The Gospel quartet played a mini-concert, just setting the mood for the morning. The song and music style fit the congregation well and no one seemed rushed. When the band played a few minutes longer than what the printed schedule allotted for I wondered if they’d get a stern look from the pastor. He was sitting patiently on the pew in front of me though, and he didn’t seem concerned in the least.

During the greeting time the people really made me feel at home. They told me about their church history and explained some of the ways the Brethren churches are different from other congregations. I began to understand that these people really play an important role in their church, their districts, and in their national gatherings. In contrast to the COGOP that I attended last week where the denomination authorities install and remove pastors without the input of the local congregation, in the COTB the pastors actually serve at the request of the local people. It’s their church.

The pastor still didn’t move to the stage after the greetings. Someone else stood in the pulpit and opened up the front microphone for testimonies, announcements and prayers. I couldn’t believe that they didn’t realize how dangerous this could be. I’ve learned it is much safer to hold the microphone in front of someone’s when they are sharing in a service so that the amplified power doesn’t go to their heads and that they don’t take too much of the pastor’s precious time. I’ve learned from some of the best personalities out there how to stay in control of the stage. Yet the pastor still sitting in the pew in front of me didn’t even fidget.

It did get out of hand—there were announcements that never would have made it past the chosen three in my church—even one for the rock hounds in the group. If it was someone’s birthday week they took their time up front to receive the blessings from others and then gave the blessing back by putting a special offering in the offering vase behind them. And if someone in the room had a prayer request they shared it from the front and then they prayed. After. Each. One. It was beautiful, meaningful and anything but scripted. It was their church.

The pastor finally did get his time in the order of the service, and he brought a thoughtful message for the church to prayerfully consider and apply. What it lacked was vision—by that I mean that I noticed the absence of the pastor trying to sell me on a program, a direction, or a ministry to sign up for. It was really refreshing! Those items can be important for a congregation, and I’m sure they exist somewhere in the COTB too, but interestingly enough, not during their gatherings for worship.

I met a lot of people on Sunday and they all were very gracious hosts. I could sense that they didn’t really have usher training, greeter meetings, and cookie signups for the new comers’ follow up. Instead they all acted as if this church was their home.

I don’t really expect, in just one neighborhood visit, to be able to nail down what a local congregation believes, but I’m amazed just how much of this church’s philosophy I’ve already experienced because of how they behaved. Here are four statements from a brochure on the COTB.

• Has a democratic congregation structure with widespread participation for each participant.
• Seeks to be a body which gives more attention to developing deep relationships with Christ Jesus and one another than to narrow doctrine or traditional structures.
• Practices the ministry of every believer.
• Know that ALL are welcome here.

I could tell, Church of the Brethren, I could tell.

(And the cookies were delicious!)

Week 12 Preview – Church of the Brethren

My project takes me down the street to the local Church of the Brethren gathering this week. Most of my perceptions about this denomination come from a few pastors that I’ve watched at a distance and reading the weekly messages on the church sign as I drive by. If I had to sum up my notions in one word it would be ‘peaceful.’

The church in my neighborhood was built near the same time I was born. I’ve always known it to be there, but I’ve only entered the building once for a wedding. I’m looking forward to this visit.

Here are a few things that I’ve learned online about the Church of the Brethren:

• They don’t follow any creeds other than the writings in the New Testament. They particularly like Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
• The Brethren really care about peace and are proponents of solving conflict through non-violent means.
• Although most Brethren churches have paid pastors these days, the churches, districts, and denomination are largely run by the laity.
• Baptisms are done by immersing the believer three different times (for Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in the forward direction since that is the way Jesus’ head fell when he died.
• While starting in the United States as a more conservative denomination, the Church of the Brethren is currently known to be more socially liberal than many of the denominations that are hierarchy led.
• There are roughly 1000 Brethren churches in the United States with an average of 125 members per church. They do not actively seek out new members.
• In Nigeria, wanting to get away from the sexism in the word ‘brethren,’ the denomination is known as the ‘Church of the Children of the Same Mother.’

Week 11– Church of God of Prophecy

At least I think it is a Church of God of Prophecy. The sign, which has stood as a sentry next to the sidewalk for years, is draped with a new vinyl cover, held in place with bungee cords, and sporting a non-descript, new generic name. I’m glad that the service times are printed on the sign in bright red colors as I hadn't found a website for either the new church name or the old one.

I’m not real comfortable this Sunday morning. As I’ve stated in the preview post, I have a grudge that goes back a few decades for the way this church and denomination handled a situation with their senior pastor and his son, my friend. I feel both defensive and loyal, which I realize weighs against the occupants of this church building even though I imagine there has been a significant turnover in the past 20 years.

They didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet or put out the welcome mat for me. One gentleman did shake my hand at the door and another followed me to the pew and pressed his hand into mine while giving his name. With both I felt that they were checking me out, not really being friendly; then again, I could just be paranoid.

There is no bulletin, no visitor card, no instructions for guests, and no sharing of the Peace. Once I leave after the service it will be harder for this church to follow up with me than it was for me to find out information about them.

The pastor is a gregarious man, much larger than life. He resembles a cross between the white-suited Boss Hogg from the Duke’s of Hazard and similarly clothed holiness preacher from the movie, The Apostle played by Robert Duvall. His voice carries over the congregation of the 70 or so people and he has no need for the wireless microphone that looks as if it was borrowed from a telemarketer.

The worship team has its own special set of wireless microphones that resemble Blow Pops, with a rainbow selection of round, foam windshields topping each one. The six singers all have their own assigned color, which must make it easier for the sound man to dial in their individual settings. The two men on the team, one tenor and one bass, hold very still during the song service- their feet don’t move, their smiles don’t change, the only way I know they aren’t the frozen chosen is that they occasionally open and shut their eyes while moving their lips. Three of the four women are dressed very conservatively. Their dresses travel from north of their necklines to south of their knees. They appear to represent the holiness quotient of the team. It is the fourth woman that holds my attention. She is dressed in a wild TigersBlood print dress and bounces around the stage like spring-tailed Tigger or a coked-up Charlie Sheen. Her lime green microphone and hand motions give away that she is the Pentecostal cheerleader for the congregation.

This church seems overly focused on style and severely lacking in substance. The pastor ends each sentence with an exclamation point and seems perturbed that he isn’t getting the same energy in return. “Have you guys been baptized in pickle juice this morning?” he chides. “Why the frowns?”

At least for me I’m sure I’m scowling because of direction of the message. Even though the season of Lent is historically about connecting with humility, sacrifice and death, this pastor declared they were skipping directly to the Easter message and would stay there until Easter Sunday. He verbally knocks the church down the street that has a representation of the Savior on their crucifix. He points out that the cross on the church wall behind himself is empty. He gets theatrical about the empty tomb as well, telling the congregation that you can go to Jerusalem and see the stone that had been in front of Jesus’ tomb for three days now some 50-60 feet up the hillside where the angels had launched it.

I’m beginning to understand my disconnect—the songs have all been about victory, the prayers have all been about healing, the message only about the resurrection. I’m not sure if this pastor has noticed, but three of the older ladies in his congregation are on portable oxygen machines that they carry into his service. They are dealing with deterioration and facing death. He can continue to claim healing until he is as blue in the face as his tenor’s microphone, but it won’t cause a fountain of youth to spring up in our neighborhood. I don’t like what I’m being asked to drink.

The illustrations the pastor used are all canned, like this one.

A young man who was graduating from college wanted a new car for his graduation gift. Finally, graduation day arrived, and his dad handed him a box. He opened it with anticipation, only to find a Bible inside. He was so angry and disappointed that he handed the box to his dad, walked away, and never spoke to him again. Years later, his father died, and it was his responsibility to go to his father's home to put his affairs in order. As he was looking through papers on his desk, he spotted the box. He opened it up, and sure enough, there was the Bible his father had given him. For the first time, he opened the Bible. There inside the Bible was an envelope. He opened it and found a cashier's check dated the same day as his graduation and made out for the exact amount of the car.

It was easier to find this story on BibleStudyTools.com then it is to find this Church of God of Prophesy online. I found another of the illustrations on inspirationalarchive.com and the third on sermoncentral.com.

I’m sad for the pastor as he wraps things up. He tries to give an alter call after promoting what an important decision he is asking us to make, but then tells us all to close our eyes because it “isn’t anyone else’s business.” He asks everybody to repeat his prayer out loud. The congregation has it down by rote. He invites people to come down to the altar; nobody moves. I make my way to the door.

I’m visiting the churches in my neighborhood this year, dealing with my biases, hoping to get to know my neighbors and understand them better. When I left the service on this particular Sunday, I knew I was moving in the opposite direction with this church.

I decided to talk to my friend who grew up in this denomination. His phone call helped me understand more of the CoGoP history, the organizational structure, and the pressure that these pastors are under. It gave me some empathy, enough that I think I could sit down with this pastor and have a discussion with him without being angry. Before reaching out to my friend for help, that wouldn’t have happened.

Some weekends this is a longer journey than I imagined.

Week 11 Preview – Church of God of… Judgment

According to their website, “The Church of God of Prophecy is a vibrant, worldwide body of believers, united in worship, working hand-in-hand to share God’s love and a message of hope to the broken-hearted.”

Unless you screw up.

This weekend I’m going to the CoGoP in my neighborhood. I admit I have some strong biases against this particular assembly. When I was in high school I knew the pastor’s son at this church. We were classmates together at a private school—that is until he got his girlfriend, one of our cheerleaders, pregnant. Our school administration decided that it was best that he not continue in our school. As I look back I’m not sure who that decision was best for.

It didn’t seem to matter what this young couple decided to do “right” after they had already done the “wrong.” They found themselves on the outside of grace, even though by definition unmerited favor shouldn’t have any such boundary.

What shocked me even more was what happened at my friend’s church. Under pressure from the denomination leaders back in Cleveland, Tennessee, the CoGoP state director asked my friend’s dad to resign. Apparently in the Holiness Movement “keeping your house in order” means taking responsibility for all your offspring’s actions. If you, or yours, screw up, you’re out.

This isn’t a message of hope.

I talked to my friend this week on the phone. Though very hurt by how the church and denomination mistreated his family, and still feeling the pain two decades later, he speaks of them with patience and gentleness. I’m humbled by his forgiving spirit towards the religious spirit he encountered. He is full of grace towards those who don’t deserve it, but then isn’t that the point?

Week 10 – Episcopal Church

I got my Saints messed up.

I looked up the service information for the downtown Episcopal Church, named after one Saint, instead of the one in my neighborhood, named after a totally different spiritual superhero. This meant I showed up on Sunday for a non-existent 9:15 am service. I was a bit frustrated when I sat alone in the sanctuary for 10 minutes without any other participants joining me. The choir director finally strode in and stood in front of the piano rehearsing his arm motions to the non-existent singers. I had never considered that this was a skill that needed to be practiced, like a pastor delivering his message to himself in front of his full length, bedroom mirror.

The website had said that Episcopalians do not talk in church before the service but instead use this time for personal meditation and devotion. I decided to simply follow these instructions, especially when the white-robed staff would walk by me and quietly nod their heads. Now I realize they were trying to give their visitor some quiet space, especially since he apparently arrived so early to pray. After another five minutes passed and no one joined me I checked the bulletin and found that the services were at 8:00 and 10:30. I had missed the first and had another hour to kill for the second.

Not feeling that I could stomach another hour’s worth of kneeling without sustenance, I went to the local bakery to find a maple bar. This is one of the best preparations I know for Sunday worship.

When I returned to the church I found it teeming with people. They apparently hadn’t read the part about not speaking before church as this was a very social and verbally welcoming group of people. Although the majority of them were of retirement age they reminded me of a group of kindergarten students that were supposed to have their heads down on their desk for nap time but they were too busy waving, smiling and whispering to each other to get any rest. It may not have been the reverent description I read about online, yet their pre-service communion still felt very holy.

When it was time for the service to begin a lady moved down the aisle next to me and slid open the back window. She flashed a sign to the person stationed outside and the church bell began ringing. I’ve never been a part of a church where they rang bells, but I like hearing them peal across my neighborhood.

I found it fairly easy to track through the order of the service although I did have four sets of materials to juggle. The usher had handed me a bulletin and an Order of Worship booklet. In the back of the pew in front of me I located a Bible and a Book of Common Prayer with hymns and prayers that we also used during the service. A few times I lost my place and cheated by looking at the answers of the elderly kindergartener sitting next to me.

The Rector’s message came from Matthew 20:25-26 where Jesus instructs his disciples not to lord over, or exercise authority over other people, like the ungodly rulers that oppressed them. Unfortunately I think most people experience the Christian religion as one that tries to dominate and dictate in the very vein that Jesus encouraged his followers to move away from. This gives me much to ponder about how I communicate my own agenda. Do I do it by arguments, power struggles and force, or do I lovingly serve, even as Jesus showed, by example? I’m not sure the Moral Majority movement ever memorized this particular passage, or at least the way it is being taught in this neighborhood church today.

A reader of this blog sent me a message this week, asking me if I’d be visiting an Episcopal Church. She explained that she just started attending one in her neighborhood and shared what she liked about their services:

I like that it's always exactly 1 hour 20 minutes long. I like that the service follows the pre-printed agenda that I have in my hand, almost word for word, and that my son can read along with what is being said. No surprises, no ambushes. I like that most of the service is call and respond with scripture. It's reverent, and peaceful. I like the fuss they make over communion (Jesus said to do this, so by golly we do it every single time, the same way) and the way they have a discussion time for the congregation mid-service, which gives folks a little forum for personal sharing outside of the script. I like the stained glass windows. I like the kneelers in the pews, it reminds me of my time at Catholic school in elementary. I appreciate the chance to pray, worship, and reflect on scripture without being pressured to donate to a building fund or vote against any "anti-family" legislation. I like knowing that no one is going to judge my lifestyle, and I appreciate the good works they do (food bank, help with the local park landscaping) that are positive community efforts. I like that it is small. I want to go walk the labyrinth they keep in the back. It's ancient, respectful, and calm.

That is how I feel when the service is over—calm. I like the spirit in this place. I even check the box on the visitor card that allows the church to include me in their email announcements. I’m not looking to join any specific church, denomination, or group during this project, but I think I’d like to hang out with this group in my neighborhood on occasion.

I think I will start with the Lent services that begin this week.

Week 10 Preview – Who was Saint Episcopal?

An Introduction to the Episcopal Church

Who was Saint Episcopal?

The word “Episcopal” comes from the Greek word episcope, meaning “oversight.” It is a descriptor of how the church is structured and is not the name of the first Bishop.

Where did the Episcopal Church originate?

After the American Revolution the Anglican churches needed to separate themselves from the Church of England, as they no longer would swear allegiance to the British monarchy.

How does the Episcopal Church differ from the Roman Catholic Church?

• Saints are recognized, but not prayed to as intercessors.
• The Episcopal Church invites all baptized Christians to partake in communion. The Roman Catholic Church only serves communion to its members. Thus Catholics are welcome to take communion at the Episcopal Churches, but not vice-versa.
• The Episcopal Church ordains women to the priesthood, the Roman Catholic church does not.
• Priests in the Episcopal Church may be married and have families while Roman Catholic priests must remain single and celibate.
• The Episcopal Church is structured with more local authority in the parishes while the Roman Catholic Church is focused on top down leadership from the Pope.

What should I expect when I visit an Episcopal church?

A great resource can be found here