Week 24 - Glenwood Community Church

glenwoodcc.org

Expanded our radius just a bit this week and ventured out near our old church stomping grounds. Glenwood Community Church is located on the way to rural Clark County, on the edge of cow pastures and tree farms. GCC is one of the larger churches we have visited, offering two services with seating for about 500. We went to the later service and the auditorium was filled to capacity and, from what we saw, GCC has a broad cross-section of ages represented. It was evident that they have a robust children's and youth ministry, however the emphasis this week was on the upcoming Vacation Bible School where they expected several hundred children to be involved.

The auditorium was well lit and had some indirect natural light from above. An overhead screen was used for song lyrics, announcements, and bible passages during the message. Music was provided by five instrumentalists, including two vocalists. One thing we noticed immediately with the music was that the volume of the band was well balanced to allow the voices of the congregants to be heard easily heard throughout the auditorium. In addition they lead us through a selection contemporary praise songs without over performing. 

The message was based on Luke 5:27-32 and entitled Following Jesus Changes Everything. One thing we appreciated was the pastor gave a brief recap of the previous week's message, something we have always appreciated from our old church and noticed is not that common. Leading us through an expository study of the passage the pastor focused on how Jesus' calling of Levi the Tax Collector (Matthew) lead to significant changes in Levi's life: he left everything and introduced Jesus to everyone. Bringing us to the part of the story where Jesus is accused of hanging out with the socially undesirable. Through the actions of Levi and Jesus we were left with several takeaways: First, following Jesus unmasks the motives and loves of our heart. Second, following Jesus changes everything that we have. Third, following Jesus changes the way we look at who we are. Fourth, following Jesus changes what we do. Last, following Jesus changes how we look at others. In light of this interaction between Jesus and Levi we discover that Jesus' deceptively simple sounding "follow me" encompasses every aspect of our lives.

The people of GCC showed a lot of energy throughout our visit. While our interactions were brief and perfunctory it felt that there is a high level of personal connection between regular attenders.

Week 23 - Orchards United Methodist Church

orchardsumc.org

Orchards United Methodist Church has been a fixture of the Orchards area for many years. Some may remember the old Freedom Tree that was prominently located at the front of their building before being taken down to make way for road improvements. Change is a constant in life, of course, and is true for OUMC as well as they welcomed a new pastor less than a year ago. As we have noticed at other church visits there has been quite a few that experienced pastor turn over in the last year or two. According to research this is pretty typical as the average tenure for a pastor is between three and four years.

OUMC is a modest sized community that holds one service on Sunday mornings with seating for approx 150. This week the service was about two-thirds full. However, their impact in the community extends beyond the traditional Sunday service. They are partnered with Iglesia Centro Pentecostal who provides Hispanic services in the evenings, are a sponsoring church of Friends of the Carpenter, and continue to be an important supporter of F.I.S.H. of Orchards.

We were greeted by several people on the way in and after chatting it up with the folks next to us everyone thought we were their guests. We even ran into a couple of friends from back when our boys were in cub scouts, took a moment for us to remember where we knew each other. During the service there was an extended meet and greet which allowed us the opportunity to visit with several more people. In addition the pastor greeted us before and after the service. While many congregants were on the older end of the age spectrum there were a number of families with young children. 

The auditorium is a traditional setting, as you might expect with the design era of the building, with plenty of lighting including indirect natural light. An overhead projection screen was used for announcements and song lyrics. Music provided by two musician/vocalists was a mix of contemporary praise and classic hymns and the volume was suitable to hear congregants joining in.

Following the offering children were invited forward for a message from the pastor. Since it was near the end of the school year he encouraged them to always have a heart for learning, teaching and praising. He gave the children plenty of opportunities to share their insights as well. In keeping with the theme of teaching all the Sunday School teacher volunteers were brought forward and recognized with a small gift for their faithful service. The pastor closed out this time with an opportunity for people to offer prayer requests and praises. Plenty of time was allowed and many people participated.

The pastor's brief message, based on Mark 12:28-34, was titled Love Trumps All. Drawing from the story of Jesus debating with one of the teachers of the law he shared three key points: 1) All scripture must be put up to the love test. 2) Wisdom is a function of Church-it's when we get together that we can come to a better understanding of God's truth. 3) Love is the irrefutable part of our faith. 

In closing we all joined hands and sang a song to send us on our way. Orchards United Methodist provided a relaxed environment with a nice blend of contemporary and traditional service elements. 

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 21 - Rhapsody Church

rhapsodychurch.com

We've all seen them, sandwich boards placed all around the city on Sunday mornings, advertising churches located in schools, strip malls, community centers, etc. This week we went to Rhapsody Church that Laurie had seen advertised at our local YMCA. The fact that they are located at the "Y" is not really that surprising, small start-up churches often need space that will accommodate early growth without the burden of purchasing a permanent location. What was a little bit unexpected was the level of connection YMCA still has with its "christian" roots. Of course, like the Salvation Army, it is easy to only associate them with the great social services they provide and assume they may have drifted from their origins.

As you might expect the Y does not have a chapel or church auditorium so the gym is converted into a meeting place. Having spent close to three years on the set-up team for one of the temporary satellite locations of our former home church we can appreciate the time and effort it takes to prepare this space to meet each week. 

As a gymnasium it is light on decorations but they use black room dividers around the perimeter to create a more intimate space. Lighting was provided solely by large windows located high up on the exterior wall, fluorescent lighting was available but not used. Seating, in folding chairs, was set up for about 200 and this week it was about two thirds full. The sound system was surprisingly well balanced for the space. And while the music was energetic and robust we didn't feel like we were being blasted out by the volume. Music was provided by a band of five instrumentalists, including two as vocalists. A single video monitor was used throughout the service for lyrics, video interviews, and message notes.

We were warmly welcomed by a couple of people and as first-time visitors received a gift of The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. While there was a range of ages represented there definitely was the vibe of a younger age set. This was also evidenced by the fact that the children's ministry was growing and in need of additional volunteers. In fact the lead pastor was taking a break from teaching for two weeks to work with the children and highlight the need for additional help. We were both struck by the fact that the pastor would take time out of his teaching ministry to serve the children. It was also evident that RC is involved in several community ministries including Share, Open House, Vida's Ark, Freedom House, serving members of the Y, and reaching out to the residents of a large apartment complex nearby. In addition they are currently raising funds to provide the materials necessary to build a home for a family in Mexico.

As the pastor was away on assignment in the children's ministry the Y chaplain, Roger Button, gave the message. Drawing from personal stories, bible narrative, and a book he wrote, Dancing with God, he lead us through a talk entitled Paint Happens. Beginning with an anecdote of how he shook a can of paint without properly closing the lid (hence the title), to the narrative of Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar, and finishing with a chapter from his book, about a motorcycle trip to the Great Lakes gone awry, he gave a thought provoking, and relatable, devotional talk on the topic that "it's not the challenge that defines you, it's how you handle it." 

RC's setting at the Y is fitting for their very informal format and culture. How often do you expect to hear the message on Sunday morning from a guy dressed in a hoodie sweatshirt? The service flowed but didn't come across as highly orchestrated. As Laurie put it, we "felt a good, relaxing, peaceful vibe from the visit.