Quaker Friends Meeting

 

July 16, 2023 

So it’s true:  Quakers gather and simply wait quietly. Whereas free earplugs are a helpful bonus during worship at my church, this service was silent—no music, no teaching, no scripture reading, only listening for the voice of God. 

Grounds of the Urbana Quaker Meetinghouse are lovely, with flowers blooming, most strikingly a pink hibiscus at the entrance. After being welcomed, I tip-toed to a seat in the quiet of a big circle in the meeting room. There, nearly twenty of us sat on upright chairs for about an hour. Plenty of big windows make it easy to gaze out at nature. A familiar verse from Micah 6 came to mind:  With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Sacrifices? Gifts of oil? My firstborn? No. What is required is acting in justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God. What do these things look like in my life?

When the hour was nearly up, a woman broke the silence and told her thoughts as she passed the county jail coming to the meeting. A gentleman then spoke for about ten minutes, pouring out his pain from a previous interaction. Everyone listened respectfully as he shared with both laughter and tears. Another short period of quiet followed and then the person appointed to lead today asked that each of us tell our name, any announcements for the group, and whatever else we might feel led to say. One woman asked that we “hold in the light” a member who is dying. I said I was visiting as an exploration project and that I’d enjoyed the quiet in comparison with the usual Sunday morning. That got a few laughs. When we’d been around the circle, all were invited to stay for the eats and monthly business meeting to follow.

A friendly man with a long grey ponytail was interested to hear what other kinds of churches I’d visited, and he welcomed me back anytime. Going to the car past the hibiscus I felt at peace.

Mattis Avenue Free Methodist Church

 June 18, 2023

This Sunday, Father’s Day, I was privileged to have my dad join me in a church visit. Happily, an acquaintance who was about Dad’s age appeared for a chat soon after we came in the door of the Mattis Avenue Free Methodist Church. Clearly this is a lively place; a lot of people were filtering  through the foyer. According to the multi-page bulletin, the church hosts Sunday School for both adults and kids at 9:30 and children’s church at 10:30 during the worship service. English conversations for international learners are offered at 9:15.

The medium-sized sanctuary was over half full when the music began after a welcome and invocation. To my surprise, I didn’t recognize any of the songs, lyrics projected above. A young couple was commissioned into local ministry service. Offering plates were passed as we watched a short Father’s Day-themed video. We sang the doxology and kids were dismissed to their own program. A couple of men led the congregation in scripture reading.

This was the last Sunday of this pastor’s ministry in this church. His message Winning the Worry War took its theme from Philippians 4:4-9. The bulletin had an outline with blanks for filling in major points as the sermon was given. We have a limited perspective, departing pastor Coats reminded us. Joy issues from the nature of God. “If you’re going to worry anyway, why pray? If you’re going to pray, why worry?” he quoted.

Like the church last week, the service ended with a simple dismissal.

On the way out, all fathers were invited to pick up a pie of their choice from tables in the foyer!

Midwest Believers Church

 June 11, 2023

The name Midwest Believers Church gives little clue what to expect from these local believers. I was curious to find out. The group is
certainly welcoming. I was greeted at the door, inside the door, at the sanctuary entrance, and again by a friendly person who came and sat beside me to chat for a few minutes.

The worship began on time when a petite black woman on keyboard began to sing in the Spirit. Soon she was accompanied by drums, guitar, and a responsive congregation. This free-flowing sing-song praise lasted for several minutes and then morphed into How Great Is Our God. Other contemporary songs followed, as well as the classic hymn How Great Thou Art. It was lovely.

After worship, the pastor’s wife announced a full schedule of upcoming events. Our worship leader/keyboardist, wearing a graduation robe, was acknowledged for just finishing her second degree.

With its drop ceiling and plain glass windows, this was not a fancy sanctuary. Nine rows of comfortable chairs—the back three roped off—replaced pews. No hymnals, nor bulletins. By the time the service ended, there were about forty people present, most of them white, no kids. The website says a nursery and children’s ministry are available at the 10:30 service.

Our message began with Romans 10.9-10 and focused on responding to God. Faith demands response. Our response sets God’s action in motion. Those who shrug and say, “it must not be God’s will” are missing out. The pastor gave two examples from his life. In one “I didn’t respond, so I didn’t receive.” In the other, he didn’t accept a negative diagnosis from a doctor but rather responded with scripture for a positive result. Our mouths play a big part, he said. Speak it out:  “Lord, I receive.”

The keyboardist and the drummer played again as the pastor took a minute to tell how to make an offering and then dismissed us.

The gathering area just outside the sanctuary was filling with people coming in, visiting, getting coffee before the second service. Back outside were more cars and more people arriving. Would they open the back three rows? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As I headed across the parking lot, it occurred to me to ask someone what denomination this church is, since the name is so generic. Non-denominational, a nicely dressed woman answered, but part of the Full Gospel tradition. Ah, ok. A look at upcoming events on the webpage revealed more. MBC is having three days of special services this August. (Sounds like what we used to call a revival.) Here is the information about the speaker they're bringing in:  “Having worked closely with Kenneth Copeland in the Believer's Conventions for over 23 years, David carries an anointing to teach God's Word on faith and financial increase.”

NOTE:  Just as with the Eastside Church I didn't use the label Christian nationalist, I hesitate to say this church preaches the prosperity gospel. My purpose is to observe, not to evaluate. This time I called the office to ask if that term was heard as derogatory or affirming. "Yes," I was cheerfully told, "we believe the prosperity gospel."

Urbana Foursquare Church

May 14, 2023. Mother’s Day

Another stereotype blown apart. I was prepared for a rocking Pentecostal experience upon entering Living Hope Foursquare Church, but it was quite calm. The door opens to several hallways and I hesitated, wondering which to take, but soon someone appeared and led the way. A couple of friendly women near the back welcomed me as I took a seat near them. Six narrow, stained-glass windows and a flag I could not identify were high on the left-hand wall; an American flag hung on the right. Up front a man took the mic to remind us that the pastor was away today. Then a young African woman led in traditional hymns, beginning with Faith of Our Mothers. God Will Take Care of You, Standing on the Promises, and On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand followed. Oddly to me, we didn’t stand for any of these songs. Our pianist struggled a bit, but I very much enjoyed the classic hymns.

Our speaker for the day was a lively, snowy-haired woman named Shirley. From the pulpit she told us that the church of her youth always chose a Queen Mother on Mother’s Day. The young women wore formal dresses for the coronation. It was on such a day that Shirley and her husband--now sitting on the front row--had gotten together. She called our song leader to the stage and put a golden paper crown on her head. Next, the ten kids in the room, about a third of those present, came up to pass out wrapped gifts to all the mothers. Another guest and I were asked to call out our names, and we too received one of the packages. The kids then left the service with their teacher.

There’s more to being a mom than bearing a child, Shirley said. Her message was all about mothering. After warning us to be careful not to wish our children grown up too soon, she read a touching piece called No More Oatmeal Kisses. “One of these days, you’ll shout, ‘Why don’t you kids grow up and act your age!’ And they will.”

We must model for our kids, provide for them, control them. A mom who says she “can’t do a thing with” her unruly child is not a fit mom, according to Shirley. Nurture them, love them, but do not spoil them. She relayed the recent news story of a Michigan middle schooler who, being the only one on the school bus whose parents hadn’t gotten him a cell phone, was the one with enough situational awareness to notice the driver pass out. The phoneless kid jumped into action and steered the vehicle to safety. Yes, really.

Kids should be in awe of their mothers, said Shirley. Then she asked, “Do people see your faith in your children?” Our pastor of the day concluded her thoughts and with no further ado simply dismissed us. 

PS Are you curious about what was in the package? Here it is.

Southern and American Baptist--Apr 2023

After my surprising March experience, this month I visited three Baptist churches which all felt familiar in many ways. I didn’t intend to include this denomination since I already have so much experience with it, but after going with Dad to his beloved country church on Easter (American Baptist), I decided to check out two similar local flocks.

TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH (Southern), April 30, 2023

Just as I sat down at Temple Baptist a countdown began. Suddenly the room was full of voices calling out “ten, nine, eight . . .” and at zero the worship leader joyfully welcomed congregants and started a lively song:  Death was arrested and my life began! 

Singing was accompanied by keyboardist (our worship leader and the pastor’s wife), guitarist Ron, and a young female drummer. There was no drum cage in this medium-sized sanctuary and the volume was loud!

Next, the pastor took prayer requests and updates. Sudan and Ukraine are a concern. One student was about to graduate from Baptist Theological Seminary. Another graduate was headed to what the pastor called the very best school to get her PhD. He made the mistake of good-humoredly asking someone in the pews what that best school is. Of course, the man said Illinois. But no, the hoped-for reply was Duke. Oops.

A video clip reminded us to pray for Annie Armstrong Ministries, a Southern Baptist mission support group which has a church-planter family in Kilbride, Newfoundland. The pastor had been jotting notes, and then he prayed.

Four people here were in wheelchairs, a high percentage for the thirtyish attendees. From several clues I gathered that this church takes special interest in serving the people of Champaign’s Eden Supportive Living. MTD apparently provides rides to and from. One congregant reported on his regular visit to Eden to deliver “blessing bags.” The church obviously has a valuable ministry to this group. 

From my background, I expected a few things that were missing: hymnals, a bulletin with order of service, passing the offering plate, and Sunday school. The hymnals are easily replaced by lyrics projected on screen; bulletins are not really necessary and do use resources; few visitors would miss having the plate passed. 😄 It is unfortunate though that, like many smaller churches, there apparently aren't enough kids to have a Sunday school. 

Today began a new sermon series:  Love Found Me. The pastor started with a story of how, as a child, he had carefully planned ways to escape safely if ever in a plane that was going down. We are all people of faith in various ways, he said. The best way is to trust Jesus with authority over our lives, as the Roman centurion did in Matthew 8.

This was “decision Sunday,” and we were offered the opportunity to come up to Pastor Scott and get prayer for salvation, rededication, or church membership. The service ended with the same happy song with which it had begun. A couple of people made a point to introduce themselves to me, the newcomer, as I went out.

 

 UNIVERSITY BAPTIST CHURCH (American Baptist, ABC), UIUC campus, April 16

University Baptist is part of the American Baptist Churches USA, also known as ABC, the tribe I was raised in. I dropped in on one of its two local congregations, the one on campus. A lovely young woman in traditional African garb was greeting at the door and pointed me up the staircase to the roomy sanctuary. Open space in the back held a table with coffee, tea, oranges, cookies, and even a birthday cake.

As soon as I found a seat, a friendly guy came over with a welcome and introduced himself. Soon an Asian woman followed suit. Although three or four times the number actually in attendance could have been seated there, the room was comfortably filled with a group of multicultural, multigenerational worshipers.

The pastor began with some announcements, then read Psalm 16. We sang a couple of contemporary songs accompanied by guitar, grand piano, and organ. Then we were set free to mingle. In my experience, if a church has this greeting segment, it lasts about sixty seconds, but here people left their seats for ten minutes or so to meet at the table in back, have some goodies, and even sing happy birthday.

Once corralled again, the congregation heard from an engaged couple. The young man shared his story of coming back to God; the young woman shared her heart for the Francophone Evangelism Project to West Africa. Rather than “passing the plate,” participants with offerings for this or for the church took them to the front.

Apparently this church owns several houses for students which it manages as a ministry. Although some university students were in the service, I didn't see any kids or hear mention of Sunday school. 

The pastor took about a dozen prayer requests from the floor and proceeded to pray for each one, as well as some other concerns, including an ABC pastor sentenced to six years prison in Burma. Several of the audience requests involved university issues, a thesis defense, study, graduation concerns. One young man had accidentally been shot in the eye with a laser as he performed an experiment. Yikes. 

"Wear your regalia on graduation weekend," the pastor encouraged. "We can take pictures." 

Today’s message came from Acts 2:22-36. Pastor Smith went to some length explaining the meaning of “both Lord and Christ.” He cited astronaut Victor Glover as an outstanding example of someone publicly living out faith in his Lord.

A little more singing and the service was concluded with a blessing on us all.

PS. The ABChurch with my Dad on Easter was in a much smaller sanctuary with about the same number of people. The music was traditional, the message engaging.

Westside Church (Christian Nationalist)--March 2023

 March 12, 2023

Despite its unassuming appearance, this humble church building tucked into a near westside neighborhood is home to a lively family of friendly congregants.

The website lists start times as 9:30 for Praise and Prayer Requests, 10 for Message, and 10:45 for Praise and Worship. I tried to slip in at ten till ten, but it was hard to enter discretely with the outside door only a few feet from the open sanctuary doors. I picked the fifth row, against the back wall, to avoid further attention.

What I walked into was a sharing time not unlike the Wednesday night prayer meetings of my youth. Requests were made; answers and updates from previous requests were noted. Our leader, age 78, was doing great after recent surgery. Another man (under medical supervision) had been able to quit taking his insulin. Two people were thankful that their work at the Station Theater had resulted in a successful show. (Indeed it had—Steve and I'd seen the show the night before!) More requests were given; then various congregants prayed aloud for them. Clearly this was family time. Everyone seemed to know everyone else and be familiar with the situations mentioned.

People kept coming in to the small sanctuary about every fifteen minutes until the original twenty had doubled in number. I’d been there almost two hours, when a woman with an adorable toddler and five teenage girls arrived and sat with a man in front of me for the ending. (I can hardly imagine trying to get a toddler and five teens anywhere on time. Kudos to them for showing up at all!)

Maybe half of the group was retirement age, but there were also a couple of middle-age families and a handful of young adults, some of whom handled the tech. The group was friendly and several spoke with me during or afterward, but other than the personal interaction, there was little to help a guest know what was going on, no bulletin, order of service, instruction for communion, nor even the name of the officiant.

Next our leader introduced today’s message which would be in the form of two videos. These were not to be taken as political, he said, but received as what God is saying to his church. To my stunned surprise he then exclaimed, “Trump is still the trumpet!”

Huh?! 

This is the word of God for these lovely people today? I’d been feeling rather at home in this place, but sat astounded and disappointed at this bold announcement. No one seemed to think it was out of line.

A young man went onto the stage and pulled down a high screen. Then began the January 2023 prophecy of a guy named Mike Thompson. It went something like this.

During April of 2016, Thompson had a visitation in which an angel told him the dogs of hell (false witnesses, hatred, character assassination) had been released on “the one with the hand of the Lord on him.” Then the transparent face of Trump was superimposed between Thompson and the angel. Because Trump is running again in 2024, this word was renewed for today: “'Get the people’s attention back on the man with the hand of the Lord on him.' I knew he was talking about Donald Trump.”

Thompson’s video continued for fifteen minutes with more of the same. Trump is the friend of Israel, “the only man who is appointed of God”; Biden made a deal with the devil and all he tries to do is cursed. There were problems with the 2020 election, but we need to give Moses time to work. An angel told Thompson to call people to pray daily “Your kingdom come; your will be done, in the United States of America as it is in heaven.” Finally, Thompson assured us that all these important messages are available in his new book.

Our local speaker took the mike again. Lions roar to mark their territory and to call distant tribe members, he explained. In the next clip we’d hear about God’s mighty roar. Dutch Sheets then appeared on the screen, saying soberly, “This is the word of the Lord. All delay is broken.” We’re now on the brink of a “mighty harvest of souls,” more in the next twenty years than in the last 2000. A decree stamped on the nation says “United States of America, a nation that carries the justice of the Lord.” As this “roar of justice is released there will be a greater acceleration of restoration. I am drawing lines in the sand over the United States, and I am decreeing—this is the Lord speaking—No More!”

The fall of Row v Wade took only five people after thirty years of prayer. “The Kingdom of God is stepping in. Say it!” he urged his video audience, and some in our little church group called it out too. “The roar of God is releasing the fear of God!” (A Google search shows Sheets has been referred to as the Apostle of Right-Wing Christian Nationalism.)

The clip ended and a worship music video began while band members, saxophonist, guitarist, pianist, went to take their places up front. Our leader repeated the slogan, “You have lost; we have won.” 

At this time, an older gentleman came and introduced himself. He gave me a brief history of the congregation going back to the 1950s. He explained that rather than a pastor, the church chooses to be led by elders. He is a former elder, he reported, and our leader up front is one of two current elders. Most attendees have been coming to this church for a long time.

As songs led by the worship band ended, I tried to look past a woman coming down the aisle with a small basket, but she walked right up to me. Instead of looking to receive an offering, however, she offered small folded pieces of paper from her basket. Prayer requests, she said. I could take one to pray for this week or I could choose to add my own and someone would pray for me. This sweet lady lingered for a bit and invited me to the potluck they have after church once a month.

Many had been there a couple of hours already when the communion part of the service began. I was wondering what to do when the gentleman who'd spoken to me earlier appeared again and invited me to join him and his wife. I was happy to accept his kind offer and walked to the table with them as other small groups of people began to come up also.

I may have missed something, but at this point it seemed the service was over. After the juice and cracker were consumed, people just began to talk with each other. My host introduced me to his 98-year-old mother who was on the front row. A bit earlier she had been asked to share her angelic visitation. She had awakened one day to find angels all around her bed, her kitchen table, the whole house. She was disappointed later to realize that she was still alive here rather than whisked away with them. I left this place with a swirl of mixed feelings.

Champaign First Church of the Nazarene--Feb 2023

February 19, 2023

“Is this your first time with us?” asked a kindly lady at the door. She invited me to sign the guest book, but I hesitated. I really don’t want to be on more mailing lists. “I’m not looking for a church,” I said smiling as I passed on, hoping it didn’t seem rude. This is the first church that has asked for my contact information.

The Champaign Nazarenes have a lovely stained-glass, tall-ceiling sanctuary which can seat maybe 300. I’d guess there were fifty or sixty in it this morning. Sunday school had been an hour earlier. 

The chatty group quieted as the service began—on time despite technical difficulties. They quickly switched back from a new sound system to their old one. Lots of announcements included notice of a Lenten service (encouragement to participate in the practice in some way), a 24-hour prayer meeting, a congregational meal (invite your friends), a "Zone Mission Rally," and Illinois District Ladies Day. The current Asbury College revival was mentioned too. Lots happening with this group. Congregants were encouraged to sign up to serve in various roles. “Nothing happens without people serving.” 

Songbooks remained in the pew racks as lyrics appeared on a screen up front. A guitar, piano and drums accompanied the leader and two other singers, in worship from Elevation and Hillsong, plus the traditional hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.

The sermon on radical love was given by the same guy who had made the announcements and played guitar, leading worship. In fact, his was the only spoken voice during the entire service except for an occasional amen from the audience. A relevant message was taken from John 4—good word on the ministry of presence. Everyone stood for a meaningful reading of John 15. We were strongly encouraged to go out and show radical love, no condemnation, to someone in need. Some went forward and knelt in commitment to this and a woman came for healing prayer.

The service closed with ushers collecting an offering.

I confess to being a little surprised by the modernity of this group. Clearly, I don't have a grasp of the distinctives of Nazarene faith and practice, but my uninformed stereotype of women with long skirts and buns was dispelled: one reason for this project!