Survival of the Faithful

Church hunting provides interesting experiences, but it gets old FAST!

*****

I am happy to say I have survived my first experience in a Southern church! Let me just say that Liberty Baptist was a little--ok, a LOT different than what I was anticipating. The website looked great, and the church is independent so I thought it might at least resemble the churches I'm used to back home. All I can say is, it was interesting.

Sunday school was normal. I attended a young adults class of about 6, and the teacher focused on how church bodies and ministry groups can accomplish more for the sake of Christ when they come together and share the same mindset. He also shared how he is going through a difficult and stressful time with work, commenting briefly that he hoped the service turned out to be one where the sermon was overshadowed by the choir, and that church would run past 1:00. His statement caught me a little off guard, but I didn't think much of it, really.

Then the serivce began....

Everybody was friendly. Everybody. The only person I don't think I met personally was the pastor himself. I spoke at length with the pastor's wife, though, and concluded that I liked the bubbly southern welcome and charming accent. She must be mid-40's but she looks like she's no more than 20!

I had read in the church's website that they sang right out of the hymnal, and I was looking forward to that. I have to say, though, there wasn't a song they chose that I was even vaguely familiar with! That is because not only do they sing hymns, but they sing out of the southern hymnal. I'm talking SHAPE-NOTES!!! I was as lost as last year's Easter egg, musically speaking, and for me that's frustrating, since I like to sing out and confidently hit the harmony parts.

I don't know how familiar you are with shape-note singing, but the short of it is that they are typically up-tempo hymns that are most often used in choral singing. Each note has a different shape that coorelates with whichever syllable of "solfege" (do, re, me...) is to be sung. This helps with sight-reading and sight-singing, to distinguish each pitch. The system was initially designed for ameteur singers who might not otherwise read music. Not so much now, but southern communities used to hold "singings" at which they were able to sing these shape-notes with virtually no practice involved.

Apparently Liberty Baptist is one of the few churches still keeping up with that tradition. It's a really fun style of music, but because I've had only minimal exposure to shape-notes, I just couldn't keep up! It is part of a culture still foreign to me. I did enjoy listening to the songs, though. Impressed, actually. A lot of the songs are about Heaven, and it makes sense, then, that the lyrics are joyful and the melody up-tempo and bright. It would be fun to one day learn the shape-note system. I do give the church credit for continuing an old tradition

The songs the choir sung were also right out of the hymnal. They sang three numbers, the third being the Gaither signature, "Because He Lives". Now, I like that song and all, and I realize music can minister to a person's spirit, but I think the choir carried on for about 15 minutes on that one! The first go around, one of the choir members walked down to the alter to pray, and by the end of the third verse, half the congregation had walked the isle crying and hugging each other. I was a little confused. The Word hadn't even been READ yet, much less PREACHED! I was like, ok, I guess they like to mix things up down south.

Once choir finally made their way back to their seats the pastor jumped around the pulpit, screaming and waving his hankie for MAYBE five minutes. Something to do with how we are all priests, but I didn't catch all of it. Meanwhile, people at this church had no inhibitions about standing up and shouting a hearty "Amen!" or "Glory!" or even a spontaneous testimony, like one from an older woman who sounded like she was about to swoon any minute. Some good words were said, but it was just...different. I didn't know how to take it all in.

After the mini-message was the special music. A 20-something guy got up to sing Ivan Parker's version of "My Redeemer Lives", and he really did a good job. The congregation went crazy on the final chorus and tags; you could hardly hear the kid over the shouts and screams! The song ended, and the pastor got back up to the pulpit and said a few more words before asking the singer, Jake, to come sing the song again. About halfway through the song, there went another good chunk of the congregation, down the isle. Some of them were the same people who walked the first time while the choir was singing! I mean, I got the point that Jesus is alive, but I couldn't understand what within these songs was so convicting. Maybe I was missing something...who knows?

After the THIRD go around with the SAME special number, I was ready to pack up and head back to the Cecil's. I had to be back by 1:00 anyway, and it was quickly approaching 12:30. The service ended after the pastor gave a few announcements and a closing prayer was lead by a deacon. I felt kind of bad, but I had to rush out the doors if I was to make it home in time. That's why I never got to talk to the pastor. It was probably better that way, though, because after that I honestly wouldn't have known what to say! I'm truthfully not trying to sound offensive, but I just am not used to services like this.

Bless their hearts....

In other news, I have been back in Great Mills, MD for over a week now. We won't be going back to NC until next month, and then only Chris, the baby, and I will be there and for a whole week. I would hope that Liberty isn't the norm for Baptist churches down there. I'll let you know what I find!

I do have to say that through the experience of visiting different churches I am being humbled. I'll let you know why...

Last Wednesday (the 14th) I visited Putuxent Baptist right here in Great Mills for Bible study. I figure that if I attend services other than just Sunday morning I'll be able to cover more ground and the process of finding a church will commence a lot quicker. On one hand, getting to see different ministries is a unique opportunity and it is a lot of fun to meet new people. On the other, it gets OLD really quick, and at this point I am more than ready to settle in one church so I can then figure out where I might serve.

Putuxent Baptist is a fairly small church (70/morning service) but another extremely friendly congregation. The pastor was away speaking at some college in California, so they had another member speak that night. This church is KJV-only, just like Liberty, but I haven't found any independent churches around there that aren't. Oh well. This church website stated that the pastor had received some schooling from Hyles-Anderson College. I took that as a cue and made sure I was in a skirt--even on Wednesday night! I met and spoke with one woman who was very nice. At one point during our conversation she asked, "You were home-schooled, right?" Unsure of this woman was thinking, I simply said no. She replied with, "Oh. You just seemed like you might have." Hmmm...perhaps I should have gone for the knee-length vs. the floor-length skirt! Would that have made the difference? It was just kind of weird. I mean, how do you take that?

I was convicted during the Bible study/preaching time, although it had nothing to do wiht the actual message. Funny how God can do that! But there I was, sitting alone in this small church auditorium, surrounded by these nice people I had just met. I'll admit, first knowledge of the pastor's educational background left me resistent to visit Putuxent Baptist. Just because of the stereotypes attached to where the Pastor went to college! I let one single fact about one single person influence my judgment of an entire church--weeks before stepping foot inside the building!

Granted, to some degree, my inklings were correct, as far as the ladies wearing dresses and all that, but the judgment in and of itself was wrong because I otherwise knew nothing (and still don't know too much) about this church body's corporate convictions.

I quickly realized that all my effort to research a local church in St. Mary's County was tainted by my personal preferences. I wanted to find a church that measured up to my mental checklist of what I would consider a "good" church. I might as well have started my own church as a congregation of one before stumbling upon such a place of worship! It just doesn't exist, and thank God!

So...as I continued to soak up the speaker's words that night I silently invited the Lord to receive back his rightful role in leading and guiding me to where HE would have me serve this year. I unfortunately found myself with a similar determination three years ago while looking for a church in Boston. In that case, it turned out that the church I disliked the most, based, on first impressions, ended up the greatest blessing and without question the single most highlight of that summer! It is amazing how we find God, so much more acutely aware of ourselves and our needs than we are, is willing to give us the best of gifts IF we are first willing to lay our vain, mediocre desires in surrender to His will. So simple, but so stinkin' hard!

I still don't know what church God wants me in. Yet how many more times must I be humbled before I "get it"? All I know is, as far as church visiting goes, I better follow the leading of Elizabeth Bennett and look more deeply beyond the surface!

Oh, one last thing before I finally send this...I was just recently told of the passing of my next-door neighbor, Shirley Brown. She developed cancer a few months ago, although since I didn't spend as much time at my parents' house this past year, I also didn't see her much. Boy, is that ever a lame excuse. Convicted again! Even when I did live at home I hardly said "boo" to my neighbors--any of them. Why? Laziness, I guess. Once I heard Shirley had cancer I would think about her whenever I stopped home for Sunday dinner, but as far as actually reaching out to her and ministering to her, all the farther I got was a good intention. So once I heard that she had passed away last week I was broken. I wish I had done SOMETHING. I wish I had even simply gone over and helped around the house...talked with her...sat with her--anything. But I didn't, and now it's too late. But at the same time I can't beat myself up about that fact. It's too late, and that's that. The question is, what am I going to do with the people God has brought into my life at present, and in the future? Cancer or no cancer, everybody has needs. The needs might not be obvious, but if you talk to someone long enough, you'll know what they are. Everybody faces problems and struggles every single day. Therefore, there is no excuse for us to keep to ourselves instead of investing in other people. We pray all the time for God to give us opportunities to share our faith. Why don't we instead pray not FOR those opportunities (because they are all around us at all times!) but, rather, to RECOGNIZE those opportunities--even ordinary situations as opportunities--and then pray that we we would ACT upon those opportunities. What, are we really just lazy, or are we afraid of what the Holy Spirit might do? That is total absurdity for anyone who claims a faith in and following of Christ, and I am guilty a million times over.

Revive us, oh God....