Week 13 - East Woods Presbyterian Church

eastwoodspres.org/home

First off, it is hard to believe that we are one quarter of the way done with this year, 25% done with our church visit project. Just Saturday we were saying to each other "can you believe we have made it 13 weeks?" Then it hit us, we used to do it every week, year in and year out, without even thinking about it. Nothing momentous, no accolades, just did it. We had a good chuckle over that. Maybe when we settle back in as "regular attenders" somewhere we should take a handful of weekends each year and continue our visitations.

So it was Easter Sunday this weekend and in honor of that we thought we would get outside of our normal and try East Woods Presbyterian. Both of us grew up in churches that put on quite an Easter production each year, complete with a full choral cantata. Laurie in particular attended Rose City Presbyterian as a child and has fond memories of their Easter services. Well a lot has changed over the last 35-40 years and, of course, no two churches are exactly alike. Now, as a rule, on are our visitations we make an effort not to have any expectations of what we will experience. This week we did build up a little bit of an expectation and in all fairness to EWP it was based primarily on childhood memories. To be clear, EWP is a vibrant community with a multi-talented pastor. Our unmet expectation is no reflection of their ministry.

The service was a blend of traditional and contemporary. The corporate music was lead by six instrumentalist and 2-3 vocalists. Scripture reading was provided by one of the women of the congregation, an original Easter poem, "Three Days," was read by another lady, and an 11 voice, eight instrument, group performed the song "Glory" with the pastor as lead vocalist. Definitely a change from what we have become accustomed to.

The auditorium seats about 175 and is well lit, with plenty of natural light. Like with other churches this size even the back row is not too far from the speaker. We were at the second of three Easter services, and while lightly attended, it was a mix of ages with mostly middle-age and up. As is typical on Easter the 11 o'clock service was probably the more heavily attended. We were welcomed by several people but didn't have the opportunity for any extended conversations. Throughout the service attention was drawn to several community service opportunities that members are involved in, Lunch Buddies at a local elementary school, cards for local veterans and overseas service members, prayer shawls for people needing encouragement, as well as working to end housing and food insecurity locally.

In keeping with the Easter theme the pastor's message was based on Luke 24:1-12 and focused on the question asked of the women who went to the tomb to finish the burial process, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" First we looked at it as a rhetorical question, not one that is meant to be answered but rather challenge the listener to consider a different way of understanding the events that have unfolded. Then we looked at the corrective nature of the question. They had been told by Jesus himself that he would break the power of death and rise again, so why were they looking for him in a place for dead people if he is among the living? Finally we looked at the question as inspiration. Because of Christ's victory over death it holds no power over us. Our ministry is with the living. Unlike the tagline in The Walking Dead (yes, he actually used a Walking Dead analogy in a sermon) "Fight the dead. Fear the living," as believers we have no concern for the dead and are called to love the living.

While our childhood expectations of Easter pomp and circumstance were unmet our need for words of encouragement and challenge were met. Besides, who knew that there were theological implications to The Walking Dead.

More importantly as the Easter "Call to Worship" proclaims:

One:  Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

All:   Christ is risen indeed!

One:  Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ:

All:   who has restored Jesus from death to life.

One:  Praise the Spirit and power of God:

All:   who has restored us and given us hope.

One:  Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

All:   He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

Week 12 - Evergreen Bible Church

www.evergreenbible.com

This week we knew that we would be busy Sunday morning so a Saturday service was in order. Unlike our last effort at a Saturday service when we had to go with plan "B" due to the church no longer being in existence, Evergreen Bible Church is alive and thriving. EBC offers two Sunday and one Saturday service times in English and one Spanish service Sunday afternoon. Having attended a church that offers a Saturday service we have grown accustom to the flexibility this provides.

A friend met us there who has attended EBC in the past so it was nice to see a familiar face when we drove up. We were warmly greeted by several people and the pastor's wife was chatted with us for several minutes, giving us a quick history of the church. As with many of the other churches we have visited, EBC provided an extended meet-n-greet time. An interesting anecdote about the challenges of multi-site/service churches has to do with greeting people. During the meet-n-greet time Loren was approached by an individual who looked like he wanted say "hi" but was a little hesitant. When he finally did he also asked if we were visitors. Upon hearing that we were he gave a big smile and said "yes, someone who is new." Now this does not mean that EBC never has visitors. What he shared was that with several services, and his work schedule, he is never sure who might be visiting and who has been coming for a long time. It was interesting that even in a church considerably smaller than the one we have attended it is possible to feel uncertain about who is and isn't part of the group.

While EBC does hold several services the auditorium only seats about 225. From an audience stand point we are beginning to feel that this is a pretty comfortable size. The way the seating was situated you can feel close to the speaker even from a back row. Artificial "mood" lighting was used during the corporate music time; with no natural light available in the auditorium. Contemporary music was provided by a five piece band, including 3 vocalists. A minimal amount of projected visual aid was used, primarily during singing and a little bit during the message.

A young woman who serves as a missionary teacher at Black Forest Academy in Germany was given several minutes to share about the work that she does serving missionary families from around the world. It was refreshing to hear from a younger person share about a little known ministry that directly impacts several hundred lives and families. It was even more refreshing to see the microphone be given over to someone who is not a member of the paid staff and is involved in the broader work of the church.

Given that this weekend commemorates the week leading up to the trial and crucifixion of Jesus the pastor's message focused on the events of Matthew 21. Against the historical backdrop of Jesus' time we looked at the significance of "Jesus' public announcement" (v. 1-11), "Jesus' authoritative cleansing" (v. 12-17), and "Jesus' withering judgment" (18-22). Being as far removed as we are from these events it often feels like there is a tendency to personalize and "over-spiritualize" them. This time, however, the pastor gave us a glimpse of what these events would have meant to the community as a whole. Jesus was a cultural and theological radical, he declared himself as The King, he confronted the religious, civic, and business leaders for their abuse of the marginalized, and he cast judgment on the entire nation of Israel. He acted against the structures and systems that ran counter to his purpose. In a time when we are more concerned with personal piety it is important to consider our roles in institutions that may run counter to the values of God's Kingdom.

We have really begun to appreciate the more personal connection between the pastor and congregants we have seen demonstrated at EBC and a couple of the other churches we have visited. While it may be a small thing, during the message congregants were asked to share translations from different versions of the bible. Not earth shattering but acknowledges in a small way that the audience can be co-participants in the teaching ministry of the church service.

Week 11 - Emmanuel Baptist Church

Emmanuel Baptist Church is a small, unassuming, congregation just off the beaten path. In fact, unlike all the previous visits we have made, EBC doesn't have any significant online presence. If you wanted to know more about them you would need to pick up a phone or visit in person. By small we are talking about 50 people. They do have a long history in our area however. In fact the current pastor reminded us that a long time faculty member of the university we graduated from was the pastor of EBC for many, many, years.

One thing about a small congregation is that there is a way for everyone to get involved. This was readily apparent on our visit, several members were out due to various reasons, health, family emergencies, etc. We were apologized to several times because these missing members' Sunday morning duties weren't attended to fully in their absence. For us this really reinforced the importance each member has in helping maintain these smaller communities. Altogether we were warmly welcomed by many of those in attendance. The pastor visited with us for several minutes and shared how encouraged he was when we told him about our visitation project.

The service was simple, straightforward, and no frills. We sang several classic hymns, from a book, accompanied by piano, violin, flute and tuba. And, yes, we sang all the stanzas. The auditorium was comfortable and well lit. The meet and greet time allowed ample opportunity to move around and visit with others. Either we have been in our "large church" bubble too long and missed a trend toward extended meet and greets, or smaller churches have niche that is too disruptive for multi-service, multi-site, congregations.

The current pastor, a longtime member, stepped into the role several years ago when the previous pastor's health began to fail. While not having any formal training, by his admission, he has obviously learned a thing or two over the years on preparing and delivering a message. His thoughtful, straightforward, expository message focused on "Our Relationship to God" found in Romans 12:1-2. One thing we appreciated is, on a couple of occasions, he actually asked the congregation to verbally respond to questions he had posed to us.

EBC, while a small congregation, has an outsized impact in the community and beyond. They share their facility with a Russian-speaking congregation, host an Awana CLUB, and financially support several missionaries around the world.

Week 10 - St. Andrew Lutheran Church

www.salcvan.org

This week took us back to the "High Church" side of Christian tradition. Lest one thinks this is a pejorative be at ease, it is simply a term that identifies a church or denomination that follows and practices a liturgical and ritualized form of worship. 

Like our previous Lutheran visit St. Andrew Lutheran Church follows the same structure in their service. This was nice because we had a better idea of what to expect and, hopefully, consequently had less of a bewildered look about us. We are quick learners but it did help that St. Andrew's provided a detailed guide to the morning's liturgy, including all songs, responsive readings, and instructions for communion. Speaking of communion, they practice an open communion so we were able to partake this time. 

We entered through a spacious, well-lit, lobby into the main meeting room. Plenty of natural light is available from the lobby and a large skylight located above the altar-area in the front. This Sunday the lobby was set up to display hand-crafted items that were being silent auctioned off to support the St. Andrew Preschool. The auditorium itself is a unique modern design that accentuates the beautiful pipe organ set off to one side. This might be blasphemous but, in Loren's opinion, a pipe organ beats a six piece band on any given Sunday. The use of technology was limited but provided an alternative to following along in the printed booklet. One little criticism has to do with the sound system. There were times when the ambient noise in the room made it difficult to hear the speaker even though they were mic'd. That being said the acoustics of the room allowed for the voices of congregants to be easily heard, raised in unison during the singing of hymns. 

The theme of the message was "For the sake of witness." Drawing from scripture passages in the liturgy we looked at the call of Jeremiah and the story of the prodigal son to see how when we put aside our fears we open up opportunity for being a witness. Jeremiah put aside his fear of rejection by the people and the prodigal son put aside his of rejection by the father. In doing so they demonstrated a great witness of God's loving and gracious nature. The pastor's message was short and to the point. He didn't delve much into the scriptural basis of the message but rather offered clear, everyday, examples of how it might look to put aside fear like the two biblical examples. 

Starting on this project we knew that we would encounter things that contrasted with our conservative Evangelical church upbringing. This week was probably the biggest contrast to date. St. Andrew's has an Associate Pastor and Assistant Minister, both of whom are women. Now if you're a life-long Evangelical you probably felt a shiver go down your spine right about now. We call women "Director of ..." all the time, but "Pastor," not on your life. Of course for many in the Protestant tradition women pastors are nothing new. The reality is that in the Evangelical tradition women have functioned in pastoral roles for decades we just don't acknowledge it as such.

One thing was abundantly clear about St. Andrew's; they are a vibrant community that cares about "the least of these."

Week 9 - East Park Church

www.eastpark.org

One of the fun things about doing this project is the opportunity to visit the churches of some of our long time friends. East Park Church is the church home of another one of the families in our neighborhood that we have known since our kids were in elementary school together. To be fair we have had several friends invite us to visit their churches but Loren is a stickler for sticking to the plan. We are starting with ones closest to our home and slowly expanding the radius as we go through the year. Most likely we will be able to accept many of the invites but some may be too far away.

EPC is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance family of churches. As the name implies, missions is an important part of the ministry of CMA churches. This was evident during the service as specific prayer was offered for the Good News Team they support, the speaker's reference to an international service trip that several dozen members recently returned from, and the testimony shared by a 5th grade boy about his efforts in ministering to local homeless people. We really appreciated seeing both a child and teenage girl invited up to share their personal experiences being part of these activities.

The service was contemporary and relaxed. In fact many of the leadership were wearing T-shirts with superhero logos emblazoned on the front; in keeping with the theme of the current series they are teaching from Ephesians entitled "Realize and release your true identity in Christ." Piping hot coffee is available as you enter the meeting room and at the seats are full size cup holders for your coffee. Now, before you make light of the cup holders they serve an important functional purpose, the floor is sloped so a cup placed on the floor would create quite a mess if it were to spill. Seating was available for about 200 and at the early service we attended was about 2/3 full. Projection screens were located on each side of the stage and were used throughout for music lyrics, a short video, and the bible passages for the message.

Music was provided by six instrumentalists, two who also provided vocals. They performed upbeat, contemporary, songs like those found on one of the local Christian radio programs. The congregants represented ages from children to elderly. About midway through the service children and teens were given opportunity to leave for classes of their own. No formal meet-n-greet was done during the service, not a big deal given that we come from a church that practices the perfunctory 360 spin-n-greet. However, after visiting several churches that provide a significant part of the service to the greeting time not having it caused us to reflect on this a bit.

The message was provided by one of the elders, a pastor-in-training by  his own admission. His talk was from Ephesians 5:1-14 and was entitled "We are love & light." His message was thoughtful, relatable, and heartfelt. He provided a poignant object lesson by inviting his 5th grade son up to share about his conversation with a homeless man he met while ministering in the local community. His talk was an apropos challenge to hear given the tensions that are brewing at the local and national levels.

EPC is the size that doesn't overwhelm but offers something for all ages. As mentioned they have active children and youth ministries for families and evidence of active older members as well. Yet you get the feel that people know each other and recognize each other's children.