Week 27 - Safe Harbor Church of the Nazarene

safeharbornaz.org

This week the pendulum  swung the other way and we discovered a community that was probably one of the smallest we visited to date. Safe Harbor Church is centrally located on a main thoroughfare within easy walking distance of several multi and single-family housing developments.

SHC provided a welcoming environment as we were greeted by a number of congregants and the pastor prior to the service. There was a comfortable familiarity among those in attendance and we recognized and sang to two young women for their birthdays and an older couple for their anniversary. The auditorium was well lit with both artificial and diffused natural light. A projection screen was used during the pre-service announcements, while the audience read aloud the a Apostles' Creed, and as a visual aide during the message. Music was provided by a seven instrument orchestra and three vocalists, and was made up entirely of Fanny Crosby classics. In addition a special piece was performed by an eight voice choir with a solo by the pastor. All-in-all nearly half in attendance  participated directly in some way during the service.

The message was a continuation of a series that is looking at eight specific signs highlighted in the Gospel of John. As stated these signs were included "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (Jn 20:31).  This week we took a look at the miracle of Jesus giving sight to a man born blind (Jn 9).

To begin with the pastor dispelled the myth that tragedy or misfortune only comes to those who sin, a common belief in Jesus time that persists even today. Like all of the signs that Jesus performed this one was designed to fulfill specific prophetic marks for the coming messiah that would have been understood by his Jewish community. In addition to the messianic fulfillment the pastor challenged us to consider another element to this event. Namely that "everything Jesus touches, changes."

1. God became man to turn creatures into sons; not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man.
2. Jesus didn't come to merely comfort sinners; he came to transform them into saints.
3. Some folks have a "Frebreze" Christianity-they aren't really clean, they just smell that way.
4. Jesus doesn't just cover up the sin; he purges it.

Ultimately, he stated, this was "not just a miracle of healing; it was a miracle of creation."

The pastor then led us in a time of reflection and communion open to all in attendance.

SHC offered a casual, yet traditional, environment. The congregants were warm and welcoming and, while they didn't highlight it, there was evidence that they are involved in serving those who are less fortunate in our community.  

Week 26 - Crossroads Community Church

crossroadschurch.net

This week found us in the world of megachurches. There are only a handful of such churches in our county and it was inevitable that we would end up in at least one. Crossroads Community Church is one of the largest, and probably the largest single-campus church in our area. It is the church that seems like everyone you know has gone to at some time in their life, if they have lived here for any length of time. As you might expect they have a large multi-million dollar facility, which is also home to Cornerstone Christian Academy. The multi-use site is also often used to host larger regional events, like Mission Connexion as recently as 2014.

CCC's building, where the weekend services take place, includes a large foyer, they call it the Family Room, with a complete cafe, adequate seating to visit with friends, and a water feature that serves as the baptismal font. The auditorium seats around 1000 and at the service we attended was at least 75% full. Lighting is provided solely by artificial lighting and was dimmed during the music performance which helped to accentuate the stage lighting. Dual side screens were used to project announcements, song lyrics and the speaker during the message. Music was provided by six instrumentalists, including two vocalists. Song selection was primarily contemporary praise songs and while well performed with lots of energy, but not overdone, we strained to hear the voices of several hundred congregants over the band. 

One thing that was unique about the service at CCC is that they live simulcast the service online. On the whole this didn't really affect much other than there were three large video cameras with operators located close to the stage. Several references were made of off-site viewers and a countdown clock was displayed during the five minute meet-n-greet so that people got back to their seats promptly. Loren does have to admit that he did find himself frequently trying to figure out when each camera was being used throughout the service. The drummer definitely received plenty of camera time during the band's performances. In keeping with the social media age the Creative Arts Pastor even encouraged people to pull out their smartphones and do a "check in" on Facebook and then tweet the service to their friends.

Did we mention that CCC has been around for awhile? About 40 years actually. Bill Richie was the founding pastor and served as their senior pastor until he retired about four years ago, handing the job over to a young, 30 something, upstart from California named Daniel Fusco. 

Pastor Fusco's style would best be described as "smooth like Jazz," fitting given his background as a professional Jazz musician. His message this week was a continuation of a series entitled Little is the new Big: Huge lessons from the Bible's smallest books. The specific talk drew from Jude 1-11 and was called The Struggle is Real. Working through this small, and often overlooked, book we were reminded that there is blessing for those who have been called, sanctified, and preserved in Christ (vs. 1-2). Then we were admonished to remember to fight for the right things (vs. 3-4) and learn from the past (vs. 5-11). Finally, we were challenged to view this recounting of past actions as a testimony that tells a story of how real the struggle is to be faithful to the life we have been called too. The service ended with a brief call to respond to the message and come forward for prayer.

Crossroads is big, no getting around that. We were fortunate that we knew a couple of the greeters as we came in. If you go as an unaccompanied visitor don't expect too much in the way of spontaneous connection. This is typical in megachurch settings so they do provide plenty of options to connect with a small group at other times. There is something for everyone and every age. In all likelihood you will eventually run into someone you know.

Week 25 - Laurelwood Baptist Church

www.laurelwoodbc.com

Our visit this week took us both back to our Baptist roots having grown up in Southern and Conservative Baptist traditions. Laurelwood Baptist Church was comfortably familiar due to our upbringings, but the reality is except for the "Baptist" identifier in the name a visitor wouldn't notice much difference (if any) between LBC and the many "Community" churches in the area. We have noticed a trend for several years where some denominational churches have dropped the specific denomination from their name; our former church did so, unceremoniously, many years back.

LBC is in the middle of a major structural renovation of their main meeting space so they are temporarily using the foyer area. The space is large enough to handle seating for around 350 comfortably and this week was about 3/4 capacity. The main auditorium was closed off so we don't know what it is like. However, the temporary space was comfortable and well lit with plenty of natural light. We were surprised with how well the sound system was balanced for the space; the five member band's understated performance was a nice complement to the voices of the congregants. 

Attendance this week was made up of a broad cross section of ages. We were greeted by and engaged in conversation with a couple of older couples and we heard about active ministries with children and youth. During the announcement time several young people were brought forward and given an opportunity to share their recent experiences working with Christian Youth in Action, a ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship. 

The pastor was away with family to participate in a grandbaby dedication so the Children's Ministry Director shared the message. The passage he taught from was Psalm 8:3-8 and the topic was entitled Discovering Your Purpose in Life. He first reminded, and challenged, us to create space in our lives for reflection. This reflective space creates the opportunity to contemplate who God is and who we are as part of his creation (vs. 3-4). With that reflection we are better able to understand the position of "glory and honor" we have been given in his creation (v. 5). With this realization of our position we should begin to understand our greater purpose to "represent God's reign" (vs. 6-8).

After attending this week we were talking with some long-time friends about our visit only to discover that they had both grown up in the church and could attest to LBC's long and vibrant ministry in the community. We were warmly welcomed by several people and definitely felt a heart of service both within and without their community.

Week 22 - Bethesda Church

www.bethesdanw.com

Tucked away in former state social services office space Bethesda Church holds their weekly "celebration service" and celebration is a good way to describe their gathering. The first 60 minutes was high energy music and singing, and, yes, even a little "dancing in the Spirit." 

As re-purposed office space the meeting room is utilitarian and functional. Black curtain screens are set up around the perimeter to create a little more intimate setting. Lighting is provided by strings of light bulbs hung from the ceiling around the room. Seating is for about 350 people and this week it was near capacity. The sound system was surprisingly well balanced for the space and a projection screen was used solely during the music time. Music was provided by five instrumentalists, including 2 vocalists. During the opening music hour people were invited and encouraged to come to the front and join in, easily over a hundred did so. 

All age groups were well represented, with plenty of families and young children. Children were encouraged to stay during the music hour and then given the opportunity to leave for the children's class time. Our direct interaction with others was pretty limited, said "hi" to a greeter at the door and visited briefly with one person sitting near us. No printed material was provided so it was difficult as a visitor to know what was going on and what Bethesda is about.

As the music hour came to a close two young people came forward to give testimony on how they saw God working through them; at a laundry mat and a local coffee stand. In addition an elderly congregant came forward to speak a "word from God" that she had been given. In preparation for the offering the congregation read aloud an offertory proclamation about God's greatness.

The message, by the husband and wife pastor team, was a topical study of "Blessing" delivered in a two-way conversation, coffee shop, format. Drawing from Genesis 1:28 and Galatians 3:5-9, 26-29 they took us through a discussion of what "Blessing" is and what this means for an individual. Some of their key takeaways included "sometimes we embrace things as normal when they're not," "the Blessing assures success in all areas of  life," "I'm not waiting on a move of God, I am a move of God," and "we are walking in the Blessing right now."

At the end of the service people were invited forward who needed additional prayer and ministering, many went forward. The rest of us were free to go and enjoy a potato feed fundraiser for the youth summer camp program. 

Week 20 - Columbia Presbyterian Church

www.columbiapresbyterian.org

This week found us visiting Columbia Presbyterian Church, a church that we have known of for years, even have several friends that attend there, and yet did not realize how large a church body and how active in the community they are. Among the many community efforts one in particular, Compassion Connect free medical and dental clinics, is one that Loren has helped with on several occasions in years past. It is good to see CPC carrying the torch and continuing to facilitate this important ministry to those who still lack adequate medical and dental care.

CPC holds two services on Sunday and this week we attended the earlier one that is the more traditional service, the later one is more contemporary. The auditorium holds about 550 people and this week it was near capacity. The congregants in our service were a mix of ages but leaned to an older group. In all likelihood the later service might be a younger group. Being in the traditional service had a special benefit for us this week in that their hand bell choir performed a couple of numbers. Haven't heard a full bell choir in many years; a very meditative form of musical expression. They even did an arrangement of the classic song El Shaddai. In addition to the bell choir, music was a collection of congregational hymns with organ accompaniment.

The auditorium was comfortable with plenty of artificial and diffused natural lighting. In addition to the auditorium being large the front foyer was spacious, allowing plenty of room to stand, visit, and have coffee; as we saw many congregants doing before service. Two video projection screens were used throughout the service for song lyrics, scripture reading, and key message points. We were warmly greeted by several people and of course it was nice to see the familiar faces of a few friends.

The lead pastor was away for the weekend so we had the opportunity to hear one of the associate pastors deliver the message. He gave a very straight forward, to the point message. They are in a series entitled Connect the Dots and this week, in honor of pentecost, the message was about "a living hope." Prior to the pastor beginning two congregants read a selection of scripture passages that focused us on the object of this "living hope."  He then asked and answered several questions: 1) What is an area in life that needs hope? 2) What do we put our hope in; ourselves, others, circumstances? (Psalm 62:5-6) 3) What is the basis of our hope? Finally he directed us to our hope in a person. (1 Peter 1:3-5) Jesus is a living hope as he has ascended, he is a personal hope through the gift of the Spirit, and he is an enduring hope that we can keep our eyes fixed on.

It was nice to finally take the time to experience CPC's time together. In some ways it was much like what we expected yet in others it was different than we had envisioned. This church community is yet another example of many works of the Kingdom being done in and around the greater Vancouver area. 

Week 19 - Real Life Church

www.seekreallife.com

As our circle continues to widen we are beginning to find more churches off the beaten path. Those ones you most likely would never see unless you take a wrong turn into the neighborhood where they are located.

For those keeping track, Real Life Church is part of the Nazarene tradition. While this may be meaningful at some level the reality is a first-time visitor wouldn't notice any difference between RLC and just about any other non-denominational, "community," church.

RLC offers two Sunday morning services and this week we made the early one. With an auditorium that seats about 200 the service was at near capacity with a broad range of ages, including many children. While the auditorium itself was fairly dark (no windows), there was plenty of energy and we were warmly greeted by several people. Even from where we sat, about mid way back, the stage was comfortably close and we felt like there was a real connection between the speakers and the congregation.

Music was provided by a group that included four instruments and three vocalists, and was primarily contemporary praise songs. The music leader was very enthusiastic and really appeared to enjoy what he was doing. Video projection was used extensively for song lyrics, announcements, and throughout the message. The family & children focus of RLC was readily apparent with heavy promotion of the sizable VBS program they will be putting on at the end June. 

As it was Mother's Day Sunday we were well prepared for the typical message about mothers and their role in the family and church. This week we got a special treat instead. RLC is in the midst of a series entitled "How to Win at Life," and this Sunday the husband and wife pastor team, Jeff and Shelley, spoke together. Shelley was the focus of the talk centered on the question "how do we win at the important roles in our life?" She shared with us that she does not enjoy being the center of attention, prefers the behind the scenes kind of service. Her husband Jeff, on the other hand, appeared quite comfortable being up front; plenty of personality. However Shelley had been sensing for some time that she needed to share some things that were on her heart and Mother's Day seemed the perfect opportunity.

Shelley's realization that she needed to do this fit nicely with her first point: "Listen to the gentle loving nudge of the Father." Then she reminded us that there are times when we must "stop 'doing for' God and begin 'resting in' God:" resting by slowing down, relaxing, and abiding in God's timing. Thirdly, she challenged us to "allow God to remove the veil," allowing us to be transformed into his image for his purpose. Finally we were reminded that "winning as a mom or whatever role you have in life begins with a personal relationship with Jesus." Despite her admitted reluctance in speaking up front she expressed herself well and gave a relatable talk on life in general from a busy mother's perspective. Throughout the talk Jeff asked a few prompting questions and added a few of his own insights; very thoughtful and a great interaction with the two of them sharing.

Real Life Church's vibrant spirit was evident from the moment we arrived and as we left. As one member shared with us they refer to themselves as the "little church with a big heart."

Week 18 - East Vancouver Community Church

eastvancouvercommunitychurch.com

Tucked away in a relatively sleepy residential part of town we discovered this week's church visit site. East Vancouver Community Church is well off the beaten path but conveniently located near several multi-family complexes. 

EVCC is affiliated with The Evangelical Church denomination, not one that we have ever had contact with before. An interesting historical note, TEC can trace their roots back to John Wesley and the Wesleyan movement he founded. In North America their origins are more recent, founded in Portland, OR in 1968.

The auditorium seats approx 250 and this week had about 100 in attendance. Several women were away on a retreat and we were assured that their numbers were low due to this event. That being said there was a cross section of ages represented, leaning toward an older group but with a few children and young people as well. The decor was simple but tastefully done with a good amount of filtered natural lighting. A screen was used for visual aids during music and scripture reading but rolled up during the message. Kind of nice not having a large blank white screen staring back at you during that part of the service. Several other churches have done similar in that they projected onto a wall but turned the projector off during the message. One of the benefits we are noticing of a smaller auditorium is there isn't the need to project the pastor or musicians bigger than life so those in the back row can see them.

We were warmly greeted by a few people and engaged in conversation with the pastor both before and after the service. One thing we have encountered on several visits is a number of pastors who are relatively new to the church community they currently serve. The pastor of EVCC is not new to ministry however, 30 years pastoring in Spokane and six years as a missionary in Asia before accepting the position here. 

Music was provided by four vocalists, aged high school and up, accompanied by piano, and included a mix of contemporary praises and traditional hymns. One thing that was interesting was a brief mash-up of High and Low Church traditions. In the Lutheran, and similar, churches it is common to speak the Apostles' or Nicene Creeds as part of the liturgy. In "seeker-friendly" and "evangelical" type churches such a practice is virtually non-existent; statements of core tenets of the faith are rarely, if ever, publicly and corporately affirmed. This time it was set to music and sung responsively.

Following the music and some announcements children were invited up for a time of prayer specific for them. After being dismissed to children's class the pastor then asked the congregants to offer up specific prayer requests and then led the group in a time of prayer for those requests. Each and every request was mentioned and time of silence was given for people to pray quietly for them. It left us with the feeling that people who made requests were heard and taken seriously.

The message was the final installment of a several week series entitled "Stories of the Kingdom: Parables to live by." This week focused on Mark 13:32-37 and what it means to be an "expectant watcher." The passage just before this refers to the return of Christ at a unknown, and unknowable, future time. The pastor was very clear about the unknowable part, challenging those who become caught up in the weeds of trying to predict when these events will happen. His point with the message was the command that Jesus gave to be expectant watchers, and focus on our tasks: 1) all are to watch, 2) watchers are to fulfill assigned tasks, 3) watchers continue to watch, and 4) watchers look around as well as up. In short the expectant watcher "believes something will happen and knows he doesn't know very much."

In some ways this week felt like a nice balance between highly structured liturgical services and less structured, free flowing, services. A third of the way through this project and we are beginning to recognize distinctive differences as well as plenty of commonalities.

Week 16 - Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

beautifulsaviorlutheran.com

This week found us back in the Lutheran tradition again. Loren has visited Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church a couple of times, many years ago, for Scout Sunday with a Cub Scout Pack our boys were in. It was nice to enjoy a service not having to keep an eye on a group of squirmy 1st-5th grade boys. Loren's parents were in town and, being the adventurous souls they are, joined us in our little project.

BSLC is a modest sized congregation that holds two Sunday morning services. The auditorium seats about 200 and this week, at the later service, there was a sizable group with all ages in attendance. Plenty of natural lighting made for a well-lit, comfortable, setting with lots of natural wood tones. No visual aids were used during the service but a printed order of service was provided to each congregant to follow along with. 

Just prior to the service beginning the Cantor came out and prepped us for some new songs that we would be singing during the service. Throughout the service music was lead by the Cantor accompanied by an organ. As we have come to expect the congregation is actively involved in nearly all aspects of the service; through responsive readings, responsive prayers, and song. As we have experienced elsewhere, BSLC practices an open communion so we of course took advantage of the whole experience. This time Laurie was prepared for real wine.

This week's service was focused on "Jesus as the Good Shepherd." In keeping with what we have come to expect there was  a short children's sermon first and about 20 children came to the front to sit with the pastor. One member brought in an Australian Shepherd dog as an object lesson of how the shepherd takes care of the sheep. 

The pastor's messages was taken primarily from Psalm 23, the classic passage often referred to as "the Shepherd's Psalm," and known by many whether they attend church regularly or not. The pastor lead us in a thoughtful look at why sheep need a shepherd and how this relates to Christ's role as the Good Shepherd. One thing that becomes apparent is that sheep are not terribly bright and without the watchful care of the shepherd they are prone to trouble. Not exactly a complementary image for us as the sheep if you think about it. We were admonished to be wary of those the pastor called "wolves in shepherd's clothing," or "false shepherds."

We did experience a first for us this week however. We both come from fairly conservative Baptist traditions and so the idea of women leading the service is not part of our experience. BSLC's pastor is a woman and this week Pastor Christie Manisto was assisted primarily by women throughout the service. One thing was abundantly clear, BSLC is all about serving each other and the community. From numerous community service activities, to the very warm welcomes we received from many, to Pastor Chris greeting, and hugging, each congregant on their way out. As guests we received what Pastor Chris calls "a hug and a mug" for visiting.

All and all an uplifting and encouraging time.

New addition to Loren's ever growing mug collection.

Week 14 - Salvation Army Church

www.vancouver.salvationarmynw.org/usw_vancouver/church-ministries-main

We have all seen their Red Kettle Bellringers at Christmas time, that harbinger of the coming winter holidays. We may have even shopped at their Family Store, looking for a good deal on some vintage bric-a-brac. Most of us have probably lost sight of the evangelistic, evangelical, roots of The Salvation Army. 

For many years we have lived just down the road from The Salvation Army church and have often wondered if they really "do church" there. Well this week we decided the time for wondering was over and ventured out to join them for their Sunday service. While the SA has a global reach, and they serve people in need throughout our community, their Sunday gathering was a modest 40-50 people. What they lacked in numbers they made up for in heart. We were warmly welcomed by several congregants and many of the leadership. And, yes, the leaders do wear their formal SA uniforms and address each other by their rank, the husband and wife pastor team are both Majors and the assistant pastor is a Lieutenant.

The auditorium seats about 100, is well lit with natural light and inviting. As you might expect music was a big part of the service, a mix of contemporary and traditional music was led by two instrumentalist and four vocalist. Coming from a church where music is provided by highly polished professionals (or near-professional), the servant's heart was evident in those who led us in music, coming with the gifts they had to offer. Some visual aids were used during the contemporary songs, along with hymnals for the traditional ones.

The congregation was a mix of young through old, with several special needs people. Just prior to the pastor's message children were invited forward for a short lesson provided by the assistant pastor and then were excused to the children's class. The pastor gave a spirited message, starting out with a twist by beginning at the back of the auditorium, giving the introduction as he walked down the aisle to the podium. Building on a theme of "Holiness," and drawing from Philippians 2:1-11, he asked the question "What if Jesus lived my life with his heart?" Walking us through the passage he showed us three aspects of Christ's heart: An empty heart - emptied of his glory; An obedient heart - obedient even to death; An exalted heart - raised above all things. His message and delivery was on par with any evangelistic Baptist preacher we have heard, including an altar call accompanied by the song "Just As I am."

The Salvation Army was begun over 150 years ago and has a 125 year history in Clark County. Often times it is easy to think we know an organization by their most public face, like feeding the hungry or housing the homeless. This week was a good reminder that, in addition to these good and scriptural works, The Salvation Army continues to hold true to its foundation of proclaiming the good news of Christ.

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 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 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. 

Week 7 - Northcrest Community Church

northcrestchurch.com

Having lived so long within the bubble of a megachurch it is easy to lose perspective of how much of the Christian Church functions. Small, yet dedicated, communities are more the norm and yet the multi-site, or multi-thousand, communities are often the ones that get the attention. Northcrest Community Church is one of the many small but dedicated churches in Clark County. If you have ever been to the Living Bethlehem Village on Mill Plain during Christmas time then you know the church we are talking about. This is no small feat undertaken by a surprisingly small community of believers, truly a labor of love to the bigger community.

The auditorium is well lit with both natural and artificial light. Just in case you are wondering what the big deal is with the "natural light" thing, well I'll (Loren here) tell you. After years of attending church in a building that doesn't have any windows in the main auditorium, and the lighting is controlled up and down to "set the mood" throughout the service, it is easy to lose the perspective of an environment that isn't illuminated by halogen or florescent light. "Whatever!" you say. Well, truthfully I hadn't really given it any thought until our first visit way back on January 3rd. Partway through the service I realized that there hadn't been any "mood lighting" and began to look around, realizing that there were actually windows to the outside world. A small thing maybe, but I liked it.

Aside from the lighting, the auditorium was comfortable, seating about 90, with a stage for the music team of four instruments and two vocalists. Technology was used for the music lyrics and to show a couple of videos. Like with another visit no projection screen was used, just the back wall. There is something kind of aesthetically pleasing about not having either a blank screen staring at you or some kind of moving graphic filling the blank screen. Coffee, in a real mug, was available, along with a variety of baked goodies in a pink or heart-shaped motif in honor of Valentine's Day. We were encouraged to grab our treats and take them right to our seat to enjoy as the service got underway. Our interaction with others was minimal, we said "Hi/Bye" to the pastor on our way in and out, and visited with a long-time friend who attends NCC.

The service overall was simple and straightforward. The music consisted of a mix of traditional and contemporary songs. No time was devoted to the traditional meet-n-greet, but other than that very typical. The pastor opened his message with a couple of short videos, one to introduce the week's message based on the theme "The Story," and one that explains a current focus of Evangelical churches, that of being "Missional." 

The message was based on I Kings 18 where the prophet Elijah goes head to head with several hundred prophets of Baal. Kind of an unusual passage considering that it was Valentine's Day. Typically the message would be all about God's love for us, our lack of deserving it, and what it cost him, you know, a classic John 3:16 message.  Surprisingly the message was about God's love but with a twist. We were challenged to reconsider the purpose of the prophets in God's plan. As the pastor explained, often we think of the biblical prophets as those angry guys that go around preaching hell-fire and brimstone. Using examples from nearly all the major and minor prophets named in the old testament, he challenged us to view their lives and ministries as God's means of communicating his love for his people. An interesting twist and yet it rings true.

The pastor's missional spirit was evident in his teaching and NCC is located in an ideal place to have a real impact on their immediate neighbors. While it easy to think that bigger is better there are innumerable stories in church history where faithful, yet small, can have a lasting impact. 

Week 5 - Living Water Community Church

www.livingwatercc.org

Whew! We made it over a month in this little adventure. This may not seem like much to some but for those of us (Loren) who avoid new social situations like the plague, this is BIG!

One aspect of this has been finding new church communities tucked away off the beaten path. Living Water Community Church is located just off a major thoroughfare, but enough that it is unlikely you will find it driving by. In fact we discovered it only after we discovered last week's church, Vancouver First Friends.

LWCC is located in a re-purposed bingo hall that has been tastefully refurbished and decorated to provide an inviting environment. If one of the members hadn't mentioned this bit of trivia we would have been none the wiser. The front lobby provides plenty of room to stand and chat with others, there was plenty of this going on when we arrived during the break between the first and second service. They even have a coffee kiosk that offers a number of specialty coffee drinks featuring BJ's coffee, a local roaster that does a lot for non-profit organizations. For the bookworm there is small selection of books available to purchase as well.

The auditorium is artificially lit with comfortable seating that is spread wide and only about 10 rows deep with space for about 250 people. You should feel comfortably close to the stage just about anywhere in the room. The stage is taken up by equipment for the five instrumentalists and two stand alone vocalists in the music team. One nice touch was their use of overhead technology. At first it wasn't apparent that they use projection, but after realizing that there weren't any song books for attendees to use it raises the obvious question, "how do we know what to sing?" Simple, just project it onto the walls, even though they are painted in a soft color like the rest of the room. No big screens needed and nothing to clutter the vision when not in use. Projection was used very minimally for the songs and briefly throughout the message. For those who come ill prepared there are bibles available to follow along in the scripture readings.

Speaking of the music, it was a nice blend of old and new. For the older congregants there were familiar hymns presented in a contemporary way that might appeal to younger congregants. Music was used sparingly throughout the service and definitely was a lesser part of the program. 

Like last week, LWCC's meet and greet time was extended up to about 10 minutes. This provides ample time to have a more meaningful conversation with one or two people than what we have been accustomed to. Following this fellowship time the children are excused for Sunday School for them. They were invited back at the end of the service to participate in communion and the closing song. Unlike the Lutheran church we visited, LWCC practices Open Communion, available to any who profess a relationship with Christ.

The pastor offered an animated and energetic message entitled "I am not ashamed of the Gospel" based on Romans 1:15-17. Beginning with an extended introduction, drawing from historical anecdotes of past leaders of the Christian faith, he laid the foundation for the expository portion. Cross referencing a number of scripture passages he demonstrated Apostle Paul being unashamed because (1) the Gospel is the power of God, (2) the Gospel produces salvation, and (3) the Gospel is for every person.

LWCC was very inviting with several people coming up to welcome us and share a bit about their church. While they may be off the beaten path and a relatively young community (15 years), LWCC has drawn a congregation that includes all ages.

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.