Shatter Proof: Last night I went to a different church

Shatter Proof

Shatterproof is my new blog for 2007. 2006 was the year of the Jo. 2007 is about that solid core inside me that keeps me from shattering completely. 2007 is about God, and the transformation of me and my life I hope for in Him. Welcome readers, old and new, to Shatterproof

Monday, January 08, 2007

Last night I went to a different church

My housemate and I went to visit a different church last night. It's not that we're looking for another - though I did have this slight feeling of playing away from home when I got there! We don't have an evening service yet in our parish, and to be honest, I've been missing the opportunity to have a good session of worship music where I can really let go, have a dance if I want, when I don't have to sit down after every 1 or 2 songs.

So we went to this place near to where I work. I'd been there around 3 plus years ago for a prayer meeting and had vowed to go again. A guy at my church lives with people who go there and he himself goes quite frequently, and as I respect him in all things spiritual I thought it would be a good place to try. I could have gone back to my old church but didn't feel like it this week. Maybe another time.

I was a little wary, though, as I'd heard it was one of those 'beautiful people' places. And not being one of the beautiful people (in the sense that I mean that phrase - this is not a low self-confidence moment), I wasn't quite sure how much I'd feel comfortable there. But then again, church isn't always about feeling comfortable.

And you have to realise that I can be very cynical about places. I know not everywhere is perfect, but I still approach church with a healthy dose of cynicism. Mainly because I've been to a few places where people put them up on pedestals, create idols out of them, and I don't want to fall into that trap. So can tend towards the other direction.

We found it. Arrived in time. So that was a good start. Getting in was tricky - after we'd fought past all the 'welcomers' who were catching up with their mates they hadn't seen since before Christmas, we were finally welcomed. Though the 'great to see you' was tempered a little by the fact the guy wasn't actually looking at us, but looking past us. I think he might have been the pastor.

So we got in, found a seat. It was nice to see my church is not the only one that doesn't start on time! Then they started the music. They had a run of 5 or 6 songs, which was nice - I like it when you have a good session to get into God's presence, without having to sit down every 5 minutes! The guy leading the band - Yay! A band! - was capable enough, but (and I may be biased here) I've known - I do know - worship leaders who have more charisma in their little finger playing on their own, than this guy did. They did like their effects, so when it came to a time of spontaneous, singing in the Spirit worship (which did feel as though it was part of the plan and not entirely spontaneous), there was a lot of "Yes Lord, Lord, Lord" (echo feature on nicely). That's something I really don't like. It's veering dangerously towards the emotional hype that Christianity gets a bad press about sometimes. (See for example this series of items in The Times, a UK broadsheet: 'Mysterious Ways', 'Faith or fake?' and 'I felt the blood drain'.)

So far so good. They had a collection and very specifically announced that if you're a guest or visitor please don't feel you have to give. I commend them for that - I've been to many a money-grabbing church before, and that's a terrible pressure to feel you have to give when perhaps you can't and/or your own current giving is as much as you can do. God doesn't want you to give beyond your means.

The prayers really inspired me. The woman who led them based them around Jeremiah 2, and tied them around our repentance, turning away from false gods, praying for our country, leaders, etc. I liked the style and it's something I could use in the future.

Then an older guy - bearing in mind that the average age was probably around 25 and I felt a little aged there - got up to share some testimony. That was great: bringing God and His working in an individual's life, answered prayer, etc. to those who were there. Encourages us when we hear these things.

Then the talk started - can't call it a sermon because it wasn't. I didn't realise until I got into bed last night - I'd forgotten my Bible, there were no Bibles there, and this fact didn't matter. Why? Because there was no Bible reading during the service. I have to admit, once I realised this, it shocked me. How can you have church without the Word of God being read?

Anyway, the guy who spoke was inspiring. In an experiential way. In a 'this is my testimony of what God's done in my life' way. Which is all well and good, but should it be a main sermon? Shouldn't this be part of a service, with good, solid teaching as part of it? This guy used to be a New York nightclub owner. Until God got into his life, and he now runs a charity digging wells in Africa, bringing clean water to them. He got into that through a job as a photographer for the charity Mercyships, where he saw people suffering and dying from conditions that in the UK would be dealt with immediately (though with budget cuts at the moment, probably not until the next financial year): cataracts, cleft lip, facial tumours. He had the most harrowing photos - enough to make you sit there and wonder what you can do, and why something so simple ($20 to remove cataracts) is not being done.

They ended the service with prayer ministry - they got all the people who wanted prayer to the front, then prayed over them in a big group. Without the cover of music so we could all here. I don't know if they prayed individually for people - we didn't stay around to see. Another positive thing they did was to create spaces, silence during the service for us to speak to God, to listen to him. Which is often rare in church services, making that time.

We met a couple of guys there: one we'd met at a party a couple of months ago and went to the pub with, the other we met in the service during the 'Hi time', and who we grabbed a drink with in the cafe downstairs. It was interesting talking to both of them. One of the guys had only been going a few months, but had found it hard to meet people, join a home group. Talking with these guys it seems that this church is good at getting people in, but not so good at discipling them, with not a lot of solid teaching from the front. Which if they don't have Bible readings, doesn't surprise me.

I am, however, going to give them another go before I dismiss them. I need to find somewhere for myself in the evenings, a place where I can just go and receive, as we don't have an evening service starting until later this year. In my mission to draw closer to God I want more and more opportunities to do so, and as I am busying myself in my church I find that it becomes harder to do so.

But I'm not going to go somewhere I feel I'm not going to get fed at.

posted by Calia77 @ 7:10 am

2 Comments:

At 12:36 pm, Aphra said…

At our old church the posted time of the start of the service is "around 11". We named our church CD that too. We aimed to start at 11 but it was always 11:30. At Rustle, we do a bit better on Sun morning, but our wed meeting scheduled to start at 7 didn't start until 7:30. It's very relaxed at least!
Thanks for sharing. I found it interesting :)
At 11:22 pm, Anonymous said…

I commend you for going and trying something new! It sounds quite different from your other church. Can't wait for a report from next week.