Experience # 6

Yesterday I attended "A Church For All," which is a part of the Metropolitan Community Churches. There were a couple of things on the back of the bulletin that will give you an idea of what they are about. First it said, "At a Church For All, you are welcome without regard for your religious or political affiliation, race, creed, sexual orientation, gender identification, socioeconomic status, or abilities. You are loved and accepted just the way you are." Below that it said, "Vision: Charged with the task of building bridges and filling gaps, we seek to develop a spiritual community that is intentionally radically inclusive." This was an afternoon service that was held in the sanctuary of another church. The congregation was small, probably 40 or 50 people. One of the things I noticed right away, was how diverse the congregation was. They were old, young, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, gay, straight, men, and women. That was pretty cool considering the size of the congregation. The service started with music. The music was more contemporary than the hymns I grew up with, but not as contemporary as some of the places I've been. I'm not sure that explains it very well, but I don't really have another frame of reference. I will note, that there were no printed lyrics, so the 4 singers just sang, and then people would join in on the chorus. The songs were kind of repetitive, so after a few minutes, you could sing along. People were really moving to the music. I was diggin' it. At the beginning of the service, a woman spoke. She asked everyone to close their eyes and meditate. She asked us to take some deep breaths and center ourselves. I thought this was a little strange, but actually found it to be helpful in focusing and being present in the moment. Then she talked a little about lent. I really enjoyed this, because what she said basically, was why do we give up things like soda, or sugar, or cigarettes? Why don't we give up the things that really make a negative impact on our life, like self doubt, and fear? Poignant! After this, there was a prayer. Next, there was a greeting similar to what I have experienced at other churches. This is where they would normally shake hands with their neighbor, etc. The difference here, was that they have everyone come to the center aisle, and people hug one another. Obviously, you aren't required to hug people, but if you want to you can...and most people did. It was actually wonderful. You could actually feel the love in the room. It was powerful! After all of the warm fuzzy love, we went back to our seats for some scripture readings. The readings were excerpts fro Isaiah 55. As it happens, this was not the average Sunday service. I swear, I have some amazing knack for going to churches on days when they have something different happening. It just so happens that this was Communion Sunday. This church has "open communion," so anyone is welcome to partake. They had 3 communion stations, which I thought was odd considering that there were only about 40 people there. LOL I soon realized that it was because they pray with everyone individually. Now this is something that I would normally avoid. It is really uncomfortable for me, but a) I didn't realize it until I was already standing in line, and b) this entire journey is about stepping out of my comfort zone and being open minded...but mostly a) :-) When it was my turn to take communion, I took the bread, dipped it in the juice, and popped it in my mouth. ( I always loved communion growing up. Mrs.May made the best bread ever!!) Anyway, after taking communion the lady who gave it to me asked if there was anything specific that I wanted her to pray for. I said, "No. Not really." (Profound, I know) She said that she would just pray for me in general. At this point she kind of hugged me and began to pray quietly. She was talking right in my ear, so I could hear her, but it was a whisper. It seemed like she was praying for 15 minutes. lol I think it was probably more like a couple of minutes, but it seemed much longer. It was nice. This was a really big deal for me, because honestly, this kind of thing usually sends me running, but for some reason, it didn't seem that strange. It was a little emotional. After I sat back down, I could see other people walking back to their seats. Almost every person was misty eyed. I have no idea what other people's experiences were like, but mine was good. It was a reassuring, peaceful feeling. After communion, there was a sermon. Most likely because I was in attendance, the regular minister was not there. There was a guest minister. The sermon went along with the readings from Isaiah. The main message, as I understood it, was that we must put faith into action. My overall impression of this church was wonderful. It really felt, to me, like what a church should be. It was full of love and acceptance. I am definitely interested in checking this place out again sometime. Thank you Joy, for meeting me there!