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| Sunday, April 28, 2013 |
1) Denomination
• Christian: Evangelical Free Church
2) Building Type
• Humble, white exterior with horizontal siding and a large basement. Gable roof. Standard building materials for a northeastern house. Not stone. Very long but not very tall. Large basement.
3) Ambience
• The orientation of the building and the lack of stained glass windows creates a really well-lit, warm, and cozy feel. The low ceiling contributes to the cozy effect at the expense of the "awesome" feel that high-ceilinged churches impart. However, the light fixtures, speaker system, and interior paint choices are all quite modern and help reestablish a certain sense of impressiveness.
4) Demographics
• The congregation had approximately 100 people and consisted largely of families. I also noticed single older widows, single middle-aged men, a single twenty-something blonde girl in a mini-skirt and leggings, and even a single twenty-something with neck and face tattoos. The style of dress was relatively respectful, though undeniably casual.
5) Nature of Service
• This was certainly a low church service. The stage was hardly raised and the preacher (late-thirties) was dressed in a simply button-up and khakis. Rather than standing at a podium, he sat on a naturally-stained stool. With the exception of a simple wooden cross on the stage and a basic stained-glass cross wall hanging that was partially obscured by the projector screen, there were very few religious symbols.
• To my surprise, the service was largely comprised of songs. The music was contemporary Christian rock and accompanied by a nine-piece band, as well as lyrics projected onto a screen.
• The service kicked off with four songs, then a few minutes were taken in order to "greet your neighbors," which the congregation did with vigor. Next, Pat of the children's ministry spoke to the importance of working with the youth and listed some summer volunteer positions. Following this, the preacher made some prayers for specific people and also for wider community issues and endeavors. The offering baskets were then brought around, after which we sang a few more songs. The service next moved to the preacher delivering this week's message, which began with an examination of Hebrews, chapter 11.
6) Orientation to Newcomers
• Perhaps the most notable aspect of this church was how much thought has been put into the newcomer's experience. You enter through a door adorned by a banner reading "We're glad you're here" and you are then immediately faced with a very clear set of signs directing you to refreshments, childcare, restrooms, and worship service. As you walk up the stairs, you come across two greeters, the second of whom gives you the weekly handout, which contains a list of upcoming events, weekly events, the week's message, an outline of the service, and a place to add your contact information to the registry. There are refreshments served in the basement and the congregation is invited to come as much as an hour before the 10am service in order to mingle. Newcomers are further encouraged on the opening slideshow to stay for a couple minutes after the service for refreshments so that members of the congregation might have the chance to get to know them better. At each transition point in the service, it was made clear what was occurring, thus the newcomer was never made to feel lost, uncertain, or uncomfortable. Even during the offering portion of the service, wherein a basket is passed around for donations, the newcomer was informed that they need not participate in this tradition. In summary: the dress code was casual, there was very little religious symbolism, there was lots of fun singing, and there was very clear "signage." Very pleasant for the newcomer.
7) Sincerity
• The members of the congregation feel pretty sincere and authentic. They seem as though they want to be here with each other. They are friendly and happy and involved. Additionally, as noted before, there are a number of full families here, even including the high school and college age kids. This seems to speak to the dedication of the members.
8) Community Strength
• As noted, this is a noticeably convivial group of people. There is childcare available in the basement and a dedicated children's minister. The kids were being taken on a trip to Adventureland this week, and there were a number of other upcoming events planned, including women-only events.
9) Oddities
• During the singing, there was some Christy-type dancing. One or two hands raised at the elbows, hands over head, and other variations of worship dancing.
• I noticed even young single guys giving $10's & $20's at the offering. That surprised me.
10) "Cultiness"
• 3/10. Not very culty at all. This is a kind, open, and understanding group. However, the preacher did show one video that was quite off-putting. It featured a young man strongly advocating "radical abandonment to Christ"--and the Christ of the New Testament, not the middle-class American Jesus we've created. During one point of the clip, the man sincerely lamented that there are still 4.5 billion people on the planet who are without Christ. He was so serious. It was troubling.
• There was an explicit recognition of the fact that, for the Christian, what imbues this life with purpose and meaning is eternal life with God. That is the answer to why we are here and what matters.
Final Impression:
If you're just having a tough week, this is a good place to come.
On the whole, I enjoyed this service. I was very struck by the strength of the community and by the amount, and style, of music. The whole service, what with the projector and nine-piece band, was quite a production and certainly modern. However, this did not come of as gauche, but rather as in-touch. "In touch" seems to also describe this church's attitude toward the status and role of religion in contemporary society. On a related note, I both noticed and appreciated the apparent attention to detail that went into intentionally crafting every aspect of the newcomer's experience. That being said, what has stuck with me the most is the sense that this was a group of seekers moving together toward something higher. There was a real feeling of "togetherness" that permeated the service.
Oh, and we totally sang a song that incorporated sections where the males and the females simultaneously singing different verses and it was all kinds of awesome.
