"So you'll come to church with me again?"
Although I'm not much of a church-goer I generally appreciate someone I know inviting me to attend church with them. As a matter of keeping my mind open to experience something new or different every so often I will actually take someone up on the invitation.
So my friend and I arrive at the church building this morning around 10:20am. The church building is fairly new and has been built in the shape of a cylinder with a parking lot wrapped around it. As we walk in I see that the cylinder-shaped sanctuary itself takes up about 2/3 of the building area in the center with other rooms running around the outside perimeter of the building. The sanctuary is decked out with some nice gear... two large projection screens, ceiling-mounted speakers, band area enclosed in sound-deflecting glass, etc.
We take some seats. They start off with an opening prayer. The band and the choir then follow immediately with praise and worship songs. I start reading the printed bulletin we got on the way in and find in there that morning services run from 10:30am - 12:30pm and that today is Bishop Scott's 29th anniversary. Between standing up and sitting back down a few times I read the rest of the printed bulletin looking for any signs of community service programs or ministries doing stuff like food distribution or assistance with housing or legal advice.
My friend writes a check, puts it into the envelope, and then asks me if I have any cash. I give her what've I got on me at the moment - six $1 bills. She tells me I should get an envelope. I say just put it in the same envelope with her check. She gives me back one of the bills.
The band and choir end something like the fourth song into praise and worship with the congregation pretty hyped up. The choir sits and the band starts up some "shoutin" chord progressions (you know.. with the bass guitar and all). I look up and see a line of folks in white robes coming in from a side door onto the center stage. I ask my friend if that is Bishop Scott at the front of the line. It is. He stops before getting to center stage and sits down at an organ (which oddly enough is on the opposite side of the center stage from the rest of the band) and plays along with the song the band was playing.
While the band plays on Bishop Scott makes his way onto center stage. He turns his wireless mic on and does a little song leading. The band and choir gradually yield center stage to Bishop Scott who then does a combination of shout-outs to his brother and his mother and some other ad-lib for something like 20 minutes. He winds up with "And now its giving time." The band starts up and they run the offering - the kind where everyone comes out of the pews starting at the back and goes up front to drop their gifts.
Bishop Scott takes center stage again for something like 20 more minutes of shout-outs, ad-lib, and communion (which interestingly took all of about 3 minutes). He then makes a big introduction of another person who turns out to be one of the church's assistant ministers. Bishop Scott sits down on in one of the seats on center stage behind the podium but in front of the choir. The assistant minister gets straight to the point... we're taking up another offering for Bishop Scott. She says quite clearly at least three times that you need to make these checks out to Bishop Scott, followed closely by some stuff about giving and receiving more in return. The band and the choir both get going and the ushers start passing envelopes down the pews.
My friend apparently didn't expect this. She asks me for the dollar bill that she gave back to me about an hour ago and puts in an envelope. She doesnt go up front this time though... she just gives the envelope to someone else that is walking up front. This whole second offering exercise takes up something like 15 minutes.
Anyway Bishop Scott eventually takes center stage again. At 12:15pm apparently its now time for sermon. He quips that he promises to stop at 12:30pm and that someone should tip him off that it is 12:30pm. Bishop Scott then sermonizes on II Kings 4 -- the big point (as he illustrates with some cups) is that the woman empties the pot into the other vessels, sets it down, and the pot fills up again. Although I honestly don't recall how he got there (okay... I was having trouble paying attention at this point) he also goes on for a while about how he is where God placed him and doesn't concern himself with certain other churches or people.
Anyway Bishop Scott starts wrapping the sermon up around 12:45pm. One of his entourage brings a cape out from somewhere, walks right up onto center stage where Bishop Scott is, and puts it around his shoulders like James Brown. Bishop Scott isn't done yet though... now it's time for alter call. Something like eight or nine people come up front. Bishop Scott then calls for anyone who is suffering from disease to come up front. Somehow some oil appears from somewhere and Bishop Scott does some anointing. One brother falls out when Bishop Scott anoints him. Bishop Scott tells the entourage to stand him back up, puts his hands on the brother's head, and asks that the brother be able to dance in worship. The brother starts dancing.
Bishop Scott and his entourage then make their way up the center aisle on their way out of the sanctuary. He stops toward the back near where we are sitting to tell some young people to come to next week's youth revival. Bishop Scott then directs one the assistant ministers to perform the closing prayer, and he and his entourage leave the sanctuary. The closing prayer wraps up at around 1:15pm.
As I drive my friend back to her house she asks if I'll come to church with her again. I'm at a loss for words for about 10 seconds but I finally manage to come up with "I really appreciate the invitation... thank you."
