Sunday, October 30, 2016

#14 Reformation and the Luther Rose


WHERE I WENT AND WHY:
It is Reformation Sunday so I HAD to go to a Lutheran Church.  I can always use a little Luther and Bach (Think A Might Fortress!). To stretch myself I went to Ascension Lutheran on Morehead St.  For my readers who are not Lutheran, Lutherans feel there is a big difference between LCMS and ELCA Lutherans.  LCMS, or Missouri Synod Lutherans are generally a little more conservative than ELCA Lutherans and many came from Scandinavian vs. German backgrounds (though that isn't always the case).  I grew up in the ELCA.  Ascension is LCMS.  I have often admired the church on the corner of Morehead and Kenilworth, and know of their deaf ministry and soup kitchen.

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO: 
 At the corner of Kenilworth and Morehead, I had no problems parking in their lot.  They have a nice portal on their website:  "New Here" which gives you good information about parking, the nursery, an overview of the service, etc.  Dress was "church casual."

REFLECTIONS ON WORSHIP

MOOD:
The mood was welcoming though no one asked my name.  I spoke briefly about Halloween with a young family behind me and gave my card to the pastor.  I found 2 Luther roses in their stained glass windows, and when I turned around, there is a beautiful traditional one which floods the sanctuary in the back.  



MUSIC:
The Minister of Music was equally competent on the pipe organ and grand piano.  His prelude quieted the congregation and set a reverent and celebratory mood.  The service was very traditional, but there were a few surprises.  It had been a long time since I had sung the liturgical settings which included This is the Feast and the Agnus Dei, and Sanctus.  Psalm 46 and was sung to a Latin American tune, though to me the melody sounded slightly Jewish.  It was beautiful.  We sang both A Mighty Fortress and God's Word is Our Great Heritage both to the same wonderful tune by Bach.  During the verse of A Mighty Fortress which starts with "Tho hordes of devils fill the land.." the organist slipped into a minor key.  Though it fit the words, it made it hard to sing, which I guess was the point. Then to my surprise we also sang an Amy Grant song, Thy Word!  

MESSAGE:
Rev. Roger Reckling
The service actually began with a children's sermon entitled, "Trick or Treat".  The devil tries to trick us into thinking we don't need God, or that if we just go to church we will go to Heaven.  While Jesus gives us the ultimate treat of Heaven and grace.

The sermon was based on Revelation 14:6-7, the text used at Martin Luther's funeral.  "You are an Angel, The Gospel is Yours to Proclaim"  by Rev. Johann Burgenhagen, Luther's fellow pastor and friend. Using this text, he proclaimed that Lutherans can proclaim the good news of God to a World in Fear.  Though Lutherans no longer feared God, but celebrated grace, they did fear that the Gospel could be lost to the masses in just one generation.  Therefore the pastor exhorted us to set a good example, especially to our grandchildren!  Even if they do not go to church with us, but by being here, we are setting a good example to them.

OUTREACH AND REFLECTIONS
  • I wanted a traditional Reformation service, and I got one.  The music was beautiful, though the accompanist often overshadowed the choir and congregation.  The message gave me a good "shot" of Lutheranism and it felt "right" to see the acolytes in red on Reformation.
  • Besides the usual retreats and meetings, the  announcements included a LCMS Homeschoolers event with another church in Kannapolis.
  • Though the congregation was entirely white, they host an African Immigrant Worship Service weekly at noon and the congregation was invited to a Harvest Home event with African-American congregations. 
A LITTLE LUTHERAN HUMOR:


BULLETIN:


Monday, October 24, 2016

#13: Esther, Jesus, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta
WHERE I WENT AND WHY:
This weekend we went to Atlanta to see the Chihuly exhibit in the Botanical Garden.  While there I felt I couldn't miss the opportunity to worship at Ebenezer Baptist Church.  The church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached.

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO:
There are two Ebenezer Baptist Churches.  The historical one, where Dr. King and his father preached is part of the National Park Services King Memorial.  The current active church is across the street and much larger.  If you decide to go, do not trust the sign or the web site for the times for the services.  Call ahead.  Dave and I took the bus from our hotel and then walked back, but there was parking in lots near the historic church, in fact they have a parking ministry.  The address is 101 Jackson Street NE, Atlanta, GA.  Dress was "dressy church casual".  Some women had on pants suits and not all of the men had on ties, but most did.


REFLECTIONS ON WORSHIP
MOOD:
We arrived a little late (see note below), so I cannot comment on the greeting, but after the service we talked to the pastor and a member of the choir and several other folks were friendly.  As far as I could tell we were the only white folks attending today.

MUSIC:
When we arrived the all men's choir was singing "So Good" a very energetic gospel song.  Later they did a very traditional Offertory of "How Great Thou Art" using both a grand piano and the pipe organ.  I went up and talked to one of the members of the choir and told them how impressed I was that they handled both genres with such skill.  I hate I missed the opening hymn "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You", one of my favorites.  The congregation sang the Benediction "Total Praise" without printed words or a hymnal reference, holding hands, similar to my experience at Friendship Missionary Baptist.

MESSAGE:
Rev. Worthen with bow tie
Rev. Michael Worthen substituted for the Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, Senior Pastor today.  He was young, energetic and thoughtful.  Anyone who can combine, the book of Esther, the writings of Martin Niemoller, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jesus all in one sermon gets an "A" in my book.  In describing Esther's role in saving the Jews, he said that God had put Esther in a position on purpose for a purpose.  He related this to the role of middle and upper class African Americans as they consider the plight of young African American men who have been incarcerated and/or those who feel they have been victims of systemic racism especially in  the justice system.  At first Esther tried to "put a bandaid" on it by giving Mordecai clothes or charity.  Mordecai had to speak up for himself and make a case for justice and soon Esther saw that his cause was also hers.  He related this to Martin Niemoller's famous writings about the holocaust:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. 

He also connected with Dr. King as he spoke about the long arc of truth and justice and with Jesus as the champion of the marginalized.  He encouraged us all to look at our position and to ponder for what purpose God is ready to use us.

As I introduced myself to Rev. Worthen afterward, I told him that I am about half way through reading The New Jim Crow (see Blog #2) and that his sermon meshed well with what I am learning in my readings.

OUTREACH AND OBSERVATIONS
Note different times for church!
  • I was impressed with the mood, music and message at this church and enjoyed worshipping there with my husband.
  • A special outreach was highlighted as they are organizing a "Souls to the Polls" event next week.  Their goal is 100% participation in early voting for the congregation, so that they can be available to help others vote on November 8.
  • A  unique ministry I found in their bulletin and website is the organization of monthly birth month clubs.  I gather that your birthday month puts you in a small group ministry that meets regularly for Bible Study and outreach activities.
  • Getting there this week was just half the fun...or frustration.  It is becoming my experience that as a visitor, the website can be a welcoming or confusing portal to visiting the church.  First Dave and I made some " rookie mistakes" interpreting Atlanta's MARTA/bus schedule from its website.  The fares are different for buses vs. trains and you can only access senior fares if you have a special card.  A very nice bus driver identified us immediately as neophytes and visitors allowed us to ride on a partial fare and let us off at the door of the church!  The church website said that the worship started at 8 so we walked around the grounds taking pictures since we arrived about 7:40.  Then when we were starting to take a picture of the church with the church sign in the foreground, we noticed that the early service was listed as starting at both 7:45 and 7:30!  We hustled in and missed the opening announcements, hymn and prayers.  Maintaining signs and websites often fall to volunteers at churches or are not the highest priority for staff.  However as a visitor, they are the first portal to the church.  After church, we had used all of our cash on the bus,  and when we found the MARTA station where we could use a credit card, they were not running on Sunday until 9 (about a 1/2 hr from that time). The weather was so beautiful we opted to walk the mile+ instead of calling for Uber or waiting on the train.  We heard the trains start running just as we were rounding the corner to our hotel.
Cartoons of the week:
These are not from Ship of Fools, but I "googled" MLK cartoons" and most were from the editorial pages.  These 2 were my favorites:



BULLETIN:





   

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

#12 ROOTS

Providence Lutheran Church
(My 92 year old dad's sports car out front!)

WHERE I WENT AND WHY:
This Sunday was the 150th Anniversary of Providence Lutheran Church, the church I grew up in.  I have been looking forward to this Sunday for a long time (see blog post #9). Members of my family have been there from the beginning and my brother in law's great great  grandfather, David Shealy, was the first pastor.  AND, I was overdue for a little "Lutheranism!"  I do not plan to be objective in this blog as it was an emotional Sunday for me.

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO:

Providence Lutheran Church is located at 840 Old Chapin Road in Lexington, SC.  The service is at 11 am and there is usually plenty of parking, though we had to park in the grass, down the hill today!  Dress is "church casual".


REFLECTIONS ON WORSHIP
MOOD:
This is a  small, Southern, country  church.  Folks are friendly, and they will ask your name. (I guess that it why I judge this as a sign of welcoming as I visit other places!) If you come twice, they might put you on a committee!  And after 3 times they will have figured out who you are kin to, to fill in the seven degrees of separation! Just kidding.  But it is hard to hide in plain sight here, as everyone knows each other and visitors stand out.  They noted today that the charter in 1866 had 65 names, and that is about the number in attendance I remember as a child.  Today the church was filled with probably more than twice that!

MUSIC:
It really felt good to be back in the liturgical tradition with familiar responses and hymns.  This is where I was taught to make "a joyful noise" and was rarely on key!  My husband still squirms at the s-l-o-w pace of the liturgy (he grew up in a "city" [read mill/college town] church and the organist was a music professor at Newberry College so the pace was unequivocally "right".  LOL)  However, today, it felt just right to me!  We sang traditional hymns:  Holy, Holy, Holy, Day by Day, and Shine, Jesus, Shine, and one of my favorites during Communion:  Will You Come and Follow Me

While the  all-women choir sang an anthem based on the Beatitudes (Blessed are They), I couldn't help but remember all of the anthems my mom and sister sang from that choir loft while Daddy, Aunt Ellen and I listened from "our" pew.  I could look cross-eyed at my sister and we would start to giggle.  Daddy would try to stop us, but more than once we had to "excuse ourselves" to the back of the church.  Momma would then give us a second sermon after church, and try as she might, we would all invariably collapse in giggles.  She made the mistake once, of telling us that she and her brothers would sometimes "cut up" in church, so her credibility was shot. So we generally chalked it up to "making a joyful noise!"
Kathy and I were in high school together.  Mom is on the far left and my sister, Sharon, is 2nd from the right.

MESSAGE:
It has been 10 weeks (Caldwell Presbyterian) since I have enjoyed a children's sermon. (Yes, they are for adults too!)  I delighted in my granddaughters joining the pastor who Baptized them:  Abbie delivering a special "Happy Birthday Church" card proudly to Pastor Patty Sue Burton-Pye.  I also delighted in my daughter's nervousness as Abbie and Ella spoke up and answered questions during the homily and remembered that same nervousness in me, when she and her brother would tell family secrets, or be brutally blunt at that same age. (My son notoriously told a visiting pastor that he "used too many words".)   I wish I had a picture of my daughter giving the girls a "thumbs up" as they came back and shared their pretzels (symbols of prayer) and the look of relief on her face. Laughing in church runs in the family.  

My sister was the lay reader and though I sneaked a quick picture, I made sure NOT to make eye contact with her for fear we would both either laugh or cry.

The South Carolina Bishop, Rev. Dr. Herman Yoos delivered the message based on Luke 18:1-18, the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, who gets justice against her opponent through persistence (and God who is just will respond to our cries quickly).  This gave the Bishop plenty of room to talk about the persistence of our congregation through the years.  And while I revel in my church's history, for it is truly my history, his comments on prayer provided several good "nuggets" for me to consider.  One rhetorical question really struck me:  Why is prayer often our "last resort" in a crisis?  Prayer doesn't have to be mastered.  We don't have to get it right.  God is big enough to see our needs through our attempts.   He also emphasized how God uses us to answer others' prayers, again highlighting some of the social ministries of the congregation.
Bishop Yoos with Rev. Patty Sue Burton-Pye in the background
(Rev. Patty Sue gave the children's sermon and baptized both my granddaughters)


OUTREACH AND OBSERVATIONS
  • As I settled into "our" pew, I thought about how we "moved up" to a pew near the front when my grandfather became hard of hearing and stayed as dad now struggles to follow the pastor's "fast" sermons.  I have often laughed to myself, especially when I visit small churches, and wonder whose pew I am sitting in.  And as I looked around, the faces were older, but the Wingards, Seays, and Harmans still sit on the left side and the Monts, Hendrix and Roberts on the right.  The difference was, all those people who looked the "same"... were really us children, who have grown older and look now as I remember their parents looking 50 years ago.
  • Daddy took the girls (great granddaughters) out behind the church and showed them the steps of the original one room school that served as our first sanctuary. The old cedar flagpole is still there too. After lunch they had a "ground breaking" there for a prayer garden to memorialize the spot.
  • Last week when I visited a florist in Salisbury that specializes in Christmas and Christmon ornaments, I remembered how we were one of the first churches in the area to have a Christmon tree and after it was featured on the news, it became so popular, we gave tours.  It was about the time of our 100th anniversary.  As a 15 year old Luther Leaguer, I remember giving one of those tours and later finding out that one of the participants was our Bishop (not Bishop Yoos, but one of his predecessors).  He was gracious enough not to correct, what I'm sure were my many mistakes as I explained the symbols.  
  • Abbie and Ella asked to visit the cemetery and see the grave of their great grandmother and Aunt Ellen, for which Ella is named and of whom they have heard many of my childhood stories.  They were bowled over by all of the many Roberts in the cemetery and we talked about great grandparents, and great, great, great, great, etc.! grandparents.  When we passed by Uncle Bill and Aunt Sallie's graves I told them (probably again!) about picking strawberries in Uncle Bill's field and coming home with only a few, but a red face and hands.  And how Aunt Sallie and Aunt Ellen used to compete with their pies, but Aunt Sallie could never master pie crusts and truthfully we were all glad when Pillsbury came out with frozen pie shells!
  • When I took a breath and settled down this afternoon to read the church history they gave us, I came to tears at the picture of my Mom watching the steeple being erected on the church through her gift to the church.  It is one of the last happy memories I have of Mom.  By then,  Alzheimer's had already begun to take her over, but that day she sat in a lawn chair and "supervised", and her church community treated her as a queen!
  • My dad who is 92 was baptized at Providence, and so were my sister and me, and my granddaughters.  David and I were married there. Mom is buried there.  Dad and Sharon are still active members. It is where I received the foundation of my faith.  Providence is truly my "happy place."
My dad, Clay Roberts, sister Sharon Shealy and her husband Richard, me, Ella, Abbie, husband David, and daughter Emily in front of the 150th Banner after worship.


BULLETIN:




Monday, October 10, 2016

#11 A Political Sunday: Jesus, Trump, and Mark Harris


WHERE I WENT AND WHY:
You know how you develop a Plan A and a Plan B?  I think this Sunday I was on Plan X,Y, or Z!  Originally we were going camping, then closing on our Mountain House, then that got delayed, so we decided on a road trip with friends.  Suddenly I was looking for an early service here in town.  1st Baptist uptown was on my list, and it had an 8am service.  (Then as we were picking up our friends afterward, I got called to South Carolina to help with my Dad's care.)

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO:
1ST Baptist is located at 301 S. Davidson St. and there is parking in a lot off 3rd St.  They have a nice portal on their website that says "New to FBC? Start Here."  It gives helpful information about parking, nursery and worship for school age children, what to expect, etc. Dress was "church casual." at the 8 am. service.  They also have a service at 10:30 am.


REFLECTIONS ON WORSHIP
MOOD:
The Sanctuary is very modern and was built in 1971 replacing the Byzantine structure on Tryon St. now known as Spirit Square.  What struck me was the modern stained glass windows around the perimeter of the sanctuary juxtaposed with the classic stained glass in the middle of the chancel.  I am assuming that the traditional window may have been saved from Spirit Square.  There is a huge pipe organ that is very pretty but the chancel is very cluttered with band instruments (2 keyboards, drums, etc.) and screens.    This is a real dilemma for church architects and re-designers as churches transition to using media and different forms of music.  Only about 60 folks (from my count) gathered for the 8 am. service and the church which must hold more than 1000 felt voluminous and sparse. I was greeted politely, but no one asked my name.  Only as I was leaving did the 10:30 greeter genuinely welcome me  (and was curious about my segway).


MUSIC:
The music was VERY traditional, with the hymns having a gospel, or revival tone to them.  A soloist performed "He has been faithful to me" during the offertory.  While she had a beautiful voice, it felt more like a performance than worship to me.  I think it was the contrast of the taped music (vs. the organ used during hymns) and the hand held mike that made me feel that way.  A music leader led the hymns, but with such a sparse crowd, it was difficult to feel their power.

MESSAGE:
Dr. Mark Harris gave the message based on Matthew 11:7-24 where Jesus praises John the Baptist and condemns the surrounding cities for not accepting his deeds nor repenting. An outline of his sermon without comments or pictures appeared on the screen behind him.  The nugget I got from his message was that complacency and indifference are sinful.  It's easy to "slide" and say "I get it, but we have busy lives."  Am I really putting my faith first?  

Then he implored the congregation to leave their complacency behind and to "get out the vote".  This he declared is "Freedom Sunday"  where many pastors choose to skirt the Johnson Amendment  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_Amendment) which bars pastors from endorsing candidates from the pulpit at risk of their tax exempt status.  He was very clear to preface his remarks with "I'm not telling you how to vote, but this is what I am doing."  

In addressing the recent disclosure of Trump's indiscretions with women, he said that neither of the candidates have the character, consistency or courage that he would want in high office.  Therefore he must choose who he votes for on the issues.  The issues important to him were the sanctity of life (anti-abortion), traditional marriage, religious freedom (repeal of the Johnson Amendment), and future Supreme Court appointees. He believes that Trump is most aligned with these values.  

In state offices he seemed to contradict himself when he said that HB2 was not about bathrooms.  His main point was "we are under attack to create a genderless society".  But then he said that HB2 is not about discrimination  but is about safety and privacy (bathrooms?).  After highlighting an information session in the social hall by the Culture Impact Team to further discuss voting choices, he dramatically ended by saying "I don't want to stand before you in November to share with you that the nation has fallen.  Matthew 11 is about responsibility and judgement."  ("And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades." v.23) 


OUTREACH AND OBSERVATIONS
  • Wow!  OK,  I truly got the message not to be complacent or indifferent.  But somehow I cannot believe that I am going to Hell if I do not vote for Trump or McCrory.  (And likewise, I do not believe that he will go to Hell if he does.)  And while that is not a direct quote, the implication was surely there.  And I definitely do not believe that the nation will have "fallen" if Clinton is elected.  While I am a big advocate of the separation of church and state, I do believe that pastors have a right and duty to be politically active, just as we all do.  I just disagree with his politics and theology, especially regarding the LBGT community and same sex marriage. (See blog #8)
  • Announcements were given on the video screen at the beginning of the service. Several social events were highlighted along with a food drive so that they could serve a meals to needy folks on Thanksgiving:  Operation Turkey Blessing.  They are also participating in Operation Christmas Child.
  • 1st Baptist, AKA Spirit Square, and the Library from an old post card
  • When reading the church history, I found it interesting that when they were building the structure on Tryon St. in 1906 (now Spirit Square and one of our few historical "saves"), Andrew Carnegie donated $5000 to the organ fund if they would architecturally complement the Carnegie Library being built next door.
  • I am continually encouraged to see that race is not a barrier on Sunday morning. According to the website, their staff is integrated and there was at least one African American couple in the congregation this morning.
  • I am sure my experience would have been different at the 10:30 service, for I am sure it is better attended. 
  • My general routine is to write my blog on Sunday or Monday and then send a rough draft to the worship leader.  Then I let it "marinate" a day or 2 for editing.  I  receive a response from the pastor a little more than 1/2 the time, but never one as thoughtful as the one I received this evening from Dr. Harris.  While we still will have to "agree to disagree" on both points of politics and theology, I appreciate his thorough reading and responding to my blog.  Here are his comments:
  • Hey Deb,

    Thank you so much for your email. I find your effort to visit all these churches, and to write your impressions amazingly interesting. I would share a couple of things that you may want to correct before posting. 

    First, the sanctuary you were in was built in 1988, rather than the early 70s. I think the confusion is in the fact that the church relocated to Third and Davidson in the early 70s, building education space and a temporary sanctuary first. The "final sanctuary" was built in 1988, and the temporary sanctuary was converted to more Sunday School space. 

    You were correct in the difference between our 8am and 10:30am service. The 8am service, which is about 18 months old, is a very "traditional service" with hymns and the pipe organ. We do typically have a choir in both services, but our Worship Pastor was out Sunday, leading the music for Will Graham's Crusade in Scotland. While we did have a choir in the 10:30am service, we did not as observed in the 8am. That service had 118 people in attendance Sunday, by the time I got up to preach about 8:20am. But that service, with its traditional hymns and music, is very important to the overall culture of FBC's diversity. 

    I am grateful also you noted the diversity in our church. In fact, we are very grateful for the work, including our housing of Brookstone Schools, which is about 90% African-American, 5% HIspanic, 3% Asian, and 2% white. 

    I appreciate you sharing the point of the message being that where much has been given, much will be required. We have been blessed so much in this nation by God's gracious Hand, and it cannot be denied. My great concern is that in the midst of His blessings we choose to ignore His Word and His principles. 

    I also appreciate your candor, and hope you did understand that I said more than once that we may very well disagree, and I was only sharing my perspective, and how I had drawn my conclusions. I certainly do not think one's salvation rides on a vote or a political party. I will say, I did not, from my perspective, contradict myself, but perhaps was not as clear as I had hoped in that service. HB2, I believe, and the firestorm some have created over it, is about far more than simply bathrooms. It is about moving our society to a "genderless society." This would be, again from my perspective, a very different, and frankly, dangerous change for western civilization.  

    I hope you will feel welcome, and free to come and visit with us again. And, I hope you will visit our 10:30am service, as you are seeking to get a flavor of the different churches in Charlotte. I am sorry that I did not get a chance to meet you or talk further, but I do hope you will feel free to let me know if there  are any other questions or anything I can clarify for you. Thanks again for writing me, and may God's blessings be yours in the days to come!

    In Him,

    Mark Harris
ADDENDUM TO BLOG #7:
This must be my week for responses!  I got this interesting letter from Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Charlotte.  I can't believe that they took the time and effort to write such a nice and informative letter! What really floored me was the return of my offering:  "only Baha'is can contribute to the Baha'i Fund".

The funny of the week - it was just too perfect for this post!


BULLETIN AND OTHER PRINTED MATERIALS:





Saturday, October 1, 2016

#10 A FISH OUT OF WATER AT A BLUE MASS


WHERE I WENT AND WHY:  
I was looking for a service that was NOT on Sunday because we are meeting for my Mother-in-law's 95th birthday lunch in South Carolina on Sunday!  I knew that the Catholics often had Saturday services.  When I went to St. Peter's website I found that "Bishop Jugis will celebrate a special Blue Mass for spiritual protection and support of those who protect and serve."  Having 2 uncles who were policemen, I have a special respect for them and after all that has occurred in our city the past week, it felt like this might be an opportunity for me to be at a Catholic service where "families - Catholic or not - as well as the public are welcome to attend."

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO:
St. Peter's Catholic Church  is located at 1621 Dilworth Road East.  I had no trouble parking on the street, but this was not a regular time for Sunday or Saturday Mass.  A few women wore chapel veils, or lace over their heads, but dress was generally casual, with many women in pants.  I don't know if this would be true on Sundays.  They started ON TIME or maybe even a few minutes ahead.  I thought I was walking in on time, and they were already on the 3rd page of the bulletin!

REFLECTIONS ON WORSHIP 


MOOD:
I had some problems with the mood of the service. I don't want to be overly critical and I hope I am respectful.  However,  I have to be honest.

Because I was a little late, no one greeted me or gave me a bulletin.  However, I found them stacked on a table when I walked in. (Several folks came in after me.)  The bulletin was only marginally helpful in following the service.  It only contained the musical responses and hymns and gave me no directions for following the service and no page numbers for the liturgy.  Perhaps this was because it was a special service.  But I would have thought since non-Catholics were invited, there would have been more guidance in the literature.

The sanctuary was beautiful, very gothic, with stained glass windows and an ornate chancel.  However, the acoustics were horrible.  While I could hear the priests with their microphones, it was very garbled.   Then the HVAC system kicked off for about 10 minutes and things got a little clearer.  But when it came back on, it sounded like a low rumble and kept me from understanding every other word.

I sat near the back next to 2 rows of CMPD officers.  It was clear most of them were not Catholic either and we all were struggling to follow the service (when to stand, kneel, sit, etc.).  Without the liturgy printed, or at least page numbers to reference a hymnal, I was lost even though I come from a similar liturgical tradition, and could only participate in the hymns, which were very traditional. 

After the service, the policemen, their families and the congregation were invited to food and fellowship in the courtyard.  I followed the crowd to the area and walked around for a few minutes, and no one greeted me or said hello.  I knew David was grilling at home, so I had not planned to eat.  It was not very welcoming to someone not in uniform or not from the congregation.

MUSIC:
This was the high point of the experience.  The choir was in a balcony behind the congregation and the cantors, both a soprano and tenor had beautiful voices.  The organist was very accomplished.  At the end of the service when the organist usually plays a postlude and folks begin to file out, a lone bagpiper came to the front and played a hymn.  Everyone stayed and took pictures.  It was beautiful.  Everyone  clapped at the end.  He also played at the entrance to the courtyard.

MESSAGE:
I was completely baffled by the message.  (There was the Bishop and 3 priests, but they were not introduced, nor credited in the bulletin, so I'm not sure who preached the homily.)  The message was based on the prayer of St. Michael and on Revelations 12:7-12  "Michael and his angels battled against the dragon". (quote from the bulletin).  Now to be fair, I could only hear some of it.  But the Priest compared the First Responders to the Archangel Michael and compared their work to the battle between the forces of good and evil. It reminded me of the "fire and brimstone" I encountered at Northside Baptist, just with incense.    During the prayer, he did pray that they could have guidance to make split second decisions.    At the end of the service, the Prayer to St Michael was said in unison by the congregation (very fast, and obviously by rote.)  I did not feel the tone of message brought healing to the officers or the community, but fueled the "us/them" tone that has shaken our city.


OUTREACH AND OBSERVATIONS:

  • The music gave me my only "nugget" at this service and while the bagpiper was accomplished, I did not take away anything to positively ponder during the week.
  • Since this was a special service, the bulletin did not contain any parish announcements. 
  •  I was impressed, however at the rich announcements in the bulletin at St. Peter's which I found on line.  That is how I found out about this service.
  • I did not participate in Communion because I was not sure if I was welcome at the table.  One priest did say that you were welcome if you were "properly prepared".  Not being sure exactly what that meant (did I need to go to Confession earlier?), I stayed in the pew as did  most of the CMPD officers sitting beside me.  
  • I had hoped that this would be a service that would lift up and offer community protection  and support to our First Responders.  As a member of the community-at-large, and not Catholic, I was not able to fully participate and express my support, nor receive a message of support for the community from the Priests.  Perhaps if I had understood the nuances of the Mass, or could have heard better,  I would feel differently.
OK...The last 2 weeks have been waaaay too heavy.  It's time to bring some humor back!  From Ship of Fools:

Bulletin: