Argumentative Essay On Visiting A Worship Place

Walking into this church I noticed the large sanctuary infused with people. Some people were standing in the parking lot talking. Others such as the parking attendants were watching and monitoring the traffic as people hurried to make their way into the building where praise and worship was in progress. I visited an evangelical non-denominational church, predominantly African American, where the energy and excitement was nothing like I had ever experienced growing up in the Catholic Church. People smiled, prayed, and danced and shouted before and at the start of the service. Everything was neatly and nicely decorated: folding chairs, painted walls, splendid stage, musician section, coat check. The senior pastor’s office was located in the rear of the church juxtaposed to the entrance/exit. As the praise and worship team led a 30 minute selection of songs, people eased into the sacred venue as the ushers helped to find them seats.
Everyone was friendly. Some people stood up to participate in the service while others sat down watching the activity around them, not inclined to engage in the singing, dancing and shouting. The church had many young folks, people who looked as though they were single. The 65 and older segment appeared to be the minority. Children under the age of 12 could attend their own special service known as children’s church in a separate building where a smaller sanctuary exists for that and other purposes (i.e. baptisms, banquets, and youth-oriented functions). Since the church is located in an area where public transit is readily accessible, it’s likely that most of the congregants do not have cars. Thus, they can rely on mass transportation, especially since the parking lot is quite small and the street parking is not adequate, considering the fact that other churches are located within proximity.
It could not easily be identified as to who were members of the church and who weren’t, except for the musicians, contemporary gospel praise and worship team, and the ushers and greeters who wore special attire for their service as well as the church leadership (deacons and elders) who occupied the front row seats. Many of the attendees dressed casually while some churchgoers were more decked out in their Sunday’s best. When the pastor finally preached his sermon, he maintained a presentable appearance. His bodyguards (better known as armor bearers) escorted him to his seat, prepared his water, and positioned the podium below the platform on the audience’s level. I liked this practice because it showed that he wanted to be up close and personal with his membership. It demonstrated his humility, honesty, and harmony with the flock that he has been given authority to shepherd.
Subsequent to the Sunday Jam (praise and worship concert), mass choir selection, and offertory and church-related announcements, came the introduction to some and presentation to others of the founder and pastor of the ministry. As he took the microphone, he exhorted able-bodied individuals to stand up and to make noise for the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He wanted to establish an atmosphere of authentic worship that would invite the presence of the Holy Ghost. Prior to preaching his sermon or teaching his message, he asked everyone to hold up their Bibles and to make the following confession: “this is my Word of God, I read it, I believe it, and I receive it for the betterment of my natural and spiritual life in Jesus’ name. Amen.” The ushers distributed Bibles to those who needed them. But in this technologically advanced society, I observed a number of people using their iPad and iPhone Bible applications. Amazing that technology enables us to do such a thing today!
As the pastor preached he referenced the Sacred Scriptures many times to prove the points that he made in his sermon. So I constantly flipped through the pages of the Holy Writ to keep up with the flow of his homily. Sometimes, I would hear a shout here and a long drawn out “Jesus” there as the people showed their support for the lessons taught. The pastor didn’t stand behind the podium for the whole sermon. He moved around the open area in the front making eye contact with members of the audience. Seldom would he walk down the middle aisle of the church to declare a word. There were times when his voice was hardly detectable (because the mic wasn’t held up to it) and then other times when his zeal for pastorship sprung forth in the boisterous tone of his voice. He preached for an hour in the most candid way I’ve ever witnessed. He didn’t pull any punches, speaking in clear, direct, and plain language that was relevant to the people. Political correctness didn’t concern him nor did potential opposers of his message. I could tell that he stood by the Biblical precept “the truth will make you free.”
Toward the end of the Protestant church service, the pastor led an altar call for people who wanted to convert to Christianity, for runaway converts better known as backsliders, and for people without a church home. People responded to the invocation and as they walked to the front of the church to introduce themselves, the congregation expressed joy as a welcome gesture for their new lives, new beginnings. They were asked to follow the deacons out of the church into the other building where they would receive a gift from the church and could provide their contact information. The last order of business that occurred before service ended was the benediction. Finally, the pastor asked the people to embrace each other and wished them a wonderful day in the Lord. The pastor walked around greeting people following the service while his bodyguards surrounded him. People stood around talking, laughing, having fellowship. I liked the camaraderie I saw amongst the people of the church because it showed their unity and love for where they worship every week. It was a fantastic experience that I was proud to partake in.