JUNE 22 - June church visits

Well we head home this week and look forward to being back in Texas! Please make sure the highs are in the 80s and the lows are in the 60s so we will not have a big adjustment to make - HAHA!

I thought I would update you on the three church visits we made during the month of June. (Note you can click on the name of each church to see their web sites.)

JUNE 7 - CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH - As I prepared for this visit, it dawned on me that despite all of my years in East Texas, this would be the first time I had ever attended a Baptist church for Sunday morning worship. I don't know, however, if you can compare this congregation to Texas Baptists! Perhaps the most striking thing was that the senior pastor was a "she." We learned that Pastor Donna Hopkins Britt is the daughter of a former pastor of the church. This was an old established congregation with a beautiful old building. Maybe about 140 in attendance - plenty of room for more. A VERY accomplished choir - singing a VERY difficult piece. To get everything in (including Communion) - the sermon was brief but a very meaningful presentation on the Trinity. We were included in Communion which is not usually the norm for Baptists. Most Texas Methodists would feel very much at home at Calvary Baptist. It is located in a redeveloping part of town, close to downtown. A new "loft apartment complex" was about to open - and the church was going to be there for new dwellers on "move-in" day.

JUNE 14 - BROOKLYN TABERNACLE - We were in NYC on this weekend, and I had always wanted to hear the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir so we got there early for the 9 a.m. service. (The services are long - so the schedule is 9 a.m, 12 noon and 3:30 p.m.) If you are ever in NY on a Sunday, be sure to go check this place out. A few years ago they were so cramped they were having 6 or 7 services each Sunday, so they purchased and renovated a huge old Loew's Theatre for worship use. Wow - it looks brand new now. Something like 4000 seats. The story of the church is interesting. The pastor "inherited" a struggling mission from his father-in-law in inner-city Brooklyn. By the grace of God, it has grown over the years. The pastor's wife does not read music, but took over responsibility for the choir, and it is now a Grammy award winning group! Wow and wow! To top it off, the pastor and his wife are Anglo, and the congregation is (though somewhat diverse) 90% African-American. God is certainly at work here. As it turned out, the choir usually sings at 9 and noon, but today were singing at noon and 3:30 because they were recording a new CD. They had just a few music leaders instead. The most amazing thing was the congregational singing. It was really like a 4000 voice choir!! They don't spectate...they participate!!! We were planning to catch a Broadway show Sunday afternoon, but instead decided to come back for the 3:30 p.m. concert, so we were able to hear the choir after all. Again - check it out if you are ever in NY on a weekend!

JUNE 21 - ST. MARK'S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, DALEVILLE VA - Our last Sunday away, so I decided to get back to the UMC! This church is slightly smaller in numbers than ours - average of about 250 in two services. Much like Cave Spring UMC - the sanctuary is "wide" (left to right) instead of "long" (front to back). The first thing you would notice (as a flat-lander) is the huge expanse of glass behind the altar - you can see the beautiful surrounding Allegheny Mountains as you worship. Wow. (Although when you stand to sing, you can spy the Kroger gas pumps!) It was also nice to see that the choir area and the handbell area were fully accessible with a ramp to the side. As it turned out, however, the music was "summer slim." No choir. No bells. The keyboardist was on her honeymoon. So the choir director played - led a couple of praise songs - and sang the special herself. I was pleased (just personal preference) that the service did not lead off with 15 minutes of announcements like others I attended. At this church you have to read the announcements on your own time. It did allow the pastor more preaching time than some of the others we have attended. The pastor was a good preacher, and gave a good message on Jesus and the storm - and he talked about the various storms we face. At the close of the service, they commissioned a teen member who was preparing to go on a mission trip to Uganda.

Well today (Monday) may be the most fun day of all - we are cleaning the apartment and packing up stuff. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we think together about the theme "Sabbath." Thank you so much for your prayers and your support which made this sabbatical possible!!

Robert & Betsy