Week 4 - Vancouver First Friends Church

www.vffc.org

We set out on this 52 week adventure with an intention to experience different ways of meeting with God. This week at Vancouver First Friends Church we left feeling like we had experienced something truly different. First though, if you are not familiar with the "Friends Church" think "Quakers." If that rings a bell but doesn't really mean much think George Fox, as in George Fox University; an influence in the Pacific Northwest for over 125 years. Not exactly the new kid on the block, but one that neither of us has any memory of ever meeting.

VFFC is a small congregation that originated in downtown Vancouver before relocating several decades ago to its current location. They are also going through a transition as they recently brought on a new, energetic, lead pastor. Pastor Peter made a point of seeking us out before and after the service, offering a small gift to enjoy at a later time; got to love Starbucks. We were approached by a number of people once they recognized we were visiting. Very warm and authentically welcoming, and according to one older gentleman they have "great potlucks." Ages ranged from children to elderly with the exception that we didn't notice any teenage or young adults. 

The meeting (in proper Quaker parlance) was a typical church service with the exception of a couple of elements. First though, after a welcome and prayer there was a time of singing both contemporary and traditional songs. VFFC is also looking for a music pastor so this week was a friend of Pastor Peter's from Newberg, OR. Musical accompaniment was with an amplified acoustical guitar for singing and organ for prelude and offertory. An overhead screen was used to project the words to the songs and the main points of the pastor's message. Hymnals were available in the pews, along with bibles for visitors. 

One of the exceptions we noticed was just prior to the Pastoral Prayer congregants were asked to publicly share a praise or prayer request from where they sat. A microphone was passed around to facilitate the speaker being heard. If you think about it, with so many of today's carefully choreographed church services the last thing you do is let someone not in on the plan have an opportunity to speak out. 

The next exception was the "meet and greet" immediately after the prayer. Most of us are familiar with the quick "say 'hi' to the person next to you" greeting time. Well, that's how it started so we dutifully stood, did the 360 degree turn to shake hands, and returned to our forward facing stance. About five minutes into it we realized that people were still "meeting and greeting." Looking around we were amazed to see full on conversations taking place all around the room, even out into the front lobby area. This lasted for about 10 minutes and left us intrigued with the idea that this much meeting time could be devoted to just catching up, but isn't that what "friends" do?

Just prior to beginning his message the pastor brought the children forward to pray for them and then dismiss to a children's class. We then participated in a responsive reading from a collection of bible passages woven together around the theme of the days message, "The Journey from Me to You." On a side note we had been told several times by various people that they were starting a new series based on the book Soul Shift. Later we realized that doing a "series" was a new experience and people were pretty excited about it. People have been encouraged to read the book and during weekday meetings they will discuss it. During the Sunday meeting the pastor's message provides a scriptural foundation. This Sunday the message was from Mark 9:30-35 with a focus on taking our eyes off ourselves and actually considering that everyone we come in contact with is struggling with their own stuff. That as followers of Christ we are charged with putting others before our-self. That I am to shift my focus from "me to you."

At the close of the service the pastor then once again opened the floor for anyone to share a word that they felt lead to share. This portion of the meeting is what they call "Open Worship" and was one of the elements we found new and unique in our experience. A second time, a microphone was offered to anyone who wanted to share something that they had learned during the message, whether it be by prayer, song, or word. Once again we were left with the feeling that as a congregant we were active participants in the meeting.

Week 3 - City Bible Church

http://www.citybiblechurch.org/

Well here we are three weeks into our adventure and already a little change of plans. One of us forgot they were going to be out of town for work this weekend so today was a solo excursion. Best laid plans right? Undoubtedly, over the remaining 49 weeks there will be other unexpected (or forgotten) events that we will just role with.

The first thing that stands out from our first two visits is that City Bible is located in a re-purposed commercial building along the Mill Plain corridor. This is a common strategy for churches locating in established urban areas; rather than finding build-able land and going through an expensive development process re-purposing vacant commercial buildings can be very cost effective. In addition using an established site often provides easy access and ample parking. 

Upon entering the building any evidence of its prior use is long gone. A tastefully decorated, warm, lobby greets you, including a coffee stand with seating suitable to meet with friends before or after the service. Greeters are at the door to welcome everyone and point visitors in the right direction.

There were many young families with children, and adults up through early middle age. Being that this was the early service it is possible that the later service might have an older demographic.
With some of the upcoming activities that were promoted it is safe to say they have an active youth ministry as well. From the leadership to the congregation attire was casual so visitors should feel comfortable coming as they are.

The auditorium is laid out with stadium-style seating arranged in a way that any seat feels comfortably close to the stage. The stage is simple, providing ample space for the six vocalists and four instrumentalists that led the music. Common in many contemporary churches, large screens are located above the stage to project the words of the songs and the bible passage and main points of the message.

The service began with about 20 minutes of rousing praise music with the type of contemporary songs you might hear on the local Christian radio station. Following the music visitors were greeted, new members were acknowledged and prayed for, and a large area wide event was promoted. After this was the offering followed by the message, and since the senior pastor was away the youth pastor spoke in his place.

The message was more of a topical study drawing from 1 Kings 18: 41-44. They are in a series entitled "seeking God" and today's message was about being persistent seekers. Drawing from the passage the pastor focused on the following four main points that persistent seekers: live with expectation (41); don't get discouraged (43); stand on the promises of God (42); don't despise small beginnings (44). In the end the pastor challenged seekers to not limit God and stand on his promises. One thing that stood out on this visit is that the congregation participated throughout the message with spontaneous remarks of approval for key points and responding when the pastor prompted with "say amen."

In some ways today's visit was a reminder of the environment of our recent church home in the style and format. Along with the initial warm greeting, a friend I met up with introduced me to a few of her family and friends who are regular attenders. The pastor's message however was uplifting and encouraging, giving a sense of hope about the upcoming year. 

Week 2 - Peace Lutheran Church

www.peacelutheranvancouverwa.com/

This week was a bit of a throw-back for the two of us. In our childhoods each of our families attended churches that practiced more formal service styles. In a time when tradition is often treated as something to be spurned it was nice to participate in a service that is steeped in centuries of Christian heritage. 

One thing that stood out in particular was the congregation's involvement, common with a liturgical practice. Throughout the service the congregation participated in either responsive readings or songs. If you are unfamiliar with this, it is when the pastor (in this case) reads a passage and the audience responds by reading the next passage or singing a short stanza. The parts to be read or sung are provided in a book available at the seats. For the uninitiated, like us, it took a bit to catch the flow and rhythm so at times felt awkward. But this is true with any new experience. Even with a more formal approach we both were surprised at how quickly the time flew. We covered a lot of ground in a short time.

This week was to begin Epiphany but due to snow last week's service was canceled so we did catch up and finished the Christmas season. Leading up to the teaching portion of the service the Pastor lead us through several scripture readings from Genesis, Psalm, Galatians and Luke. Each passage laying the foundation for his message about the gift of God's son, with a great tie in to the tradition of gift giving at Christmas time. The message was to the point with an easily relatable application focusing on Zechariah's (father of John the Baptist) joyful response at the birth of his son [Luke 1:68-75]. Not your typical Christmas message but offered a new way of understanding an event often glossed over in the story of Jesus arrival. The pastor's thoughtful insights, sprinkled with humor, added to his message's application.

Peace Lutheran has a comfortable meeting room, seating probably less than 200. As last week there was no use of technology in performing the service. Songs and scripture passages are provided either in the weekly program or books at the seats. The organ is located in a balcony behind the seating below, its music filling the room without need for amplification. Well lit with both natural and artificial light the environment is warm and welcoming. 

We were warmly greeted by a few people and were not made to feel like our visit was an unusual occurrence. To be fair we didn't stay around after the service so we didn't provide opportunity for people to reach out to us further as visitors. We did notice that among the membership there is public recognition of both the joys and trials of life. After the service two women, ages 80 & 85, were celebrated with a cake for each. Granted one celebration was delayed due to snow the week before. Prayer was offered specifically for those who had recently been touched by death or sickness in the family. A small community, Peace Lutheran has members representing young children to elderly, giving the sense that people might be more aware of what each is experiencing.

It has been many years (decades?) since we experienced this form of meeting with God and yet there was something refreshing and authentic about our time at Peace Lutheran Church.

Week 1 - Vancouver Bible Fellowship

http://www.vancouverbible.org/

Our apologies to Vancouver Bible Fellowship, you were unknowingly our guinea pigs. Sunday was our first visit of the year and we were so far out of our comfort zone you can’t imagine. Not that visiting a new church is that unusual; just that we haven’t done it for over 20 years with the idea that we could end up at one of the churches we visit.

That being said we enjoyed our time at VBF. We were greeted very warmly by several people. Most went out of their way to come over and say “hi.” VBF is a smaller community so the fact that we were visiting couldn’t have been hidden if we wanted to. It doesn't help that we had the first (and only?) snow of the winter, making driving a bit dicey, likely contributing to a lighter attendance than normal. Of course this highlights an inherent flaw of our project; no single community can be adequately defined by a single interaction. We are under no illusion that we will capture the full spirit and character of each church with a one-time visit, however “52 church visits in 52 years” seemed a bit daunting.

The service was a typical format of an opening singing time, an offering, a little more singing, and then the message. One thing that stood out to Loren was how each portion of the service is referred to as an act of “worship.” In modern church parlance the term “worship” often refers exclusively to the music ministry of a church. Interspersed during the service were a couple of times of prayer and scripture readings. Another thing that we appreciated was the pleasant balance of the instrumental accompaniment volume to the voices of the congregation. The voices of those around us could be heard and not overpowered by the music. The focus of the music was on the songs and the congregants are equal participants. Simple and meaningful. Another feature of the service is that children participate in the first part for the music, prayer, and scripture readings. Just prior to the teaching portion they are invited to leave to participate in teaching geared for them.

The message was an in-depth, expository, treatment of 2Timothy 3:16-17. We were told by more than one person that the focus of VBF is the bible. This was very evident. Over the course of the message, that went about 40 minutes, we were taken through a word by word examination of the two verses. The pastor did an effective job of cross-referencing his talk with a number of additional passages from both the old and new testaments. The depth of his teaching leaves one with quite a bit to chew on and consider.

The meeting room was comfortable and inviting with seating for approximately 250 people. We appreciated the level of natural light provided by several stain glass windows, augmented with indirect artificial lighting. Very light and cheery with little in the way of additional trimmings. One thing missing, that has become a common fixture in many churches, was an overhead projector and large screen over the platform. While we noticed this, nothing was lost by its absence. The words to songs are provided in the service program and, if needed, free bibles are available.

So week one is in the books and despite our initial feelings of “what were we thinking” this was a fun experience and we got to meet new fellow sojourners. Thank you for joining us on this adventure and feel free to share your thoughts as we continue.