I went to church today for the first time in several weeks, to Congregational UCC in Greensboro. Chris suggested visiting this church a couple of weeks ago and I've wanted to visit a UCC for quite a while, so we finally got our act together and went. The denomination's motto is "God is still speaking," with emphasis on the comma at the end of the phrase, ostensibly meaning that God's message is alive, dynamic, and relevant to our contemporary lives. UCC ran a series of television adverts a few years ago that stirred up a bit of controversy. One depicted various folks who didn't fit in (a punk-rocker youth, an African-American family, an immigrant man, a gay couple, a single mother, etc) being ejected from their seats in one church. Another portrayed bouncers denying entry to an exclusive night club to a similar crew of folks, while allowing in a stereotypical, white, affluent, family with opposite-gender parents. The climax of the commercials was the diverse bunch later being welcomed at a UCC.
I know several people that attend this church, as it's quite near my old neighborhood in Greensboro, but I didn't see many people that I knew well. I nevertheless felt very welcomed by the pastor's remarks and by the many friendly congregants that greeted me, though no one was pushy about getting me to wear a visitor's pin or to fill out a visitor's card. (I hate that.) Besides the friendliness of the congregation, two things stood out to me about this morning's service.
First, I noticed as we approached the church that a car was parked in the driveway just a few feet from the front door. There were hoses lying on the ground all around the car and people were buzzing about it like a pit crew. As we walked in the door, an usher handed us a bulletin and explained that this was their tire inflation clinic, one of their ministries as a "green" church.
The second thing that stood out was that, in the absence of the regular choir and music director, local celebrity musician Martha Bassett had come to do all of the music for the service. It turns out that Martha used to lead the children's choir at the church.
Not only was there a guest musician, but a guest speaker for the sermon, as well. Though the pastor, Reverend Julie Peeples was present, she yielded the pulpit to Tim Nonn, an activist and fellow minister who is on a 40-day train trip across the United States to raise awareness about the genocidal crisis in Darfur. The theme of his sermon was hope and how we could help to give some glimmer of hope to the many in Darfur that have been rendered hopeless.
Following church, Chris and I did a bit of shopping to further feather his new nest and had lunch at Wholly Guacamole. I returned home to tend to an auction that ended today and Chris came over for dinner later. Now, I'm off to bed and am looking forward to a new project and a short week at work! :J
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