Journey Imperfect Faith Community

Journey Imperfect Faith Community is an emergent church designed specifically for people to feel safe, at home, and comfortable. That is really their bottom line. They pull it off like I've hardly ever seen before. The community (they prefer this terminology to church) meets in a warehouse. As you enter the place, you see a sign directing you to the Living Room, which is the equivalent of their sanctuary. Walking in, you'll see regular chairs, couches, easy chairs, etc. Lighting is fairly dim and there are quite a few candles, etc. around the room. This includes a cross, with candles along the top, etc. The backdrop consisted of sheets hanging up, with a hand painted picture of the world.

The community is very, very warm and friendly. I didn't see one person sitting alone or not talking to someone, including me. I was greeted by a lady who talked a little about the place and herself. She made a point to explain that every service is different and you never know exactly what's going to happen when you attend. Everyone is friendly. They hug, laugh, talk, cry, etc. together. This is about the closest church (in terms of relationships with each other) I've ever seen.

The service began with everyone being invited to turn and face east for a call to prayer. It was explained this is a Muslim tradition. A chant was played as we did this and a bell rang. It was a great moment to center oneself and focus on the upcoming service. David Gentiles led the service (apparently, some of the men were away on a retreat, including their pastor Rick Diamond - I wonder if Rick has been told he has the ultimate wrestler name). David is very personable, very frank, and very down-to-earth. He shared a story about growing up and the nicknames various people had for each other. Although the nicknames were applied as part of the initiation into their circle, his wasn't exactly politically correct. He explained that, in his limited world at the time, it never occurred to him and it was only later that he realized it. I'll withhold the nickname here as David himself seemed a little embarrassed while sharing his ignorance as a young man. He's very honest and sincere. In fact, I initially was thinking, "This guy isn't gifted with Obama-like speaking skills." But within minutes, I realized I (and I would guess most everyone there) was hanging on his every word.

I'll get back to David's point in a little bit. Prior to David's message, passages were read from various sources, including Islamic and Hindu sacred writings. Additionally, writings from skeptics and atheists regarding Christianity were read. One was particularly striking from Nietzsche. You can go and read the passages shared here. David's point in his sermon was that we often only see things from our limited worldview and don't understand things that are beyond that view. He then tied this back to the passages read. It's interesting to consider how those who practice other religions are also children of God and they are just seeking to follow after Him in the best way they can, just like we are. (This really appealed to my Christian Universalist slant). The service was not about who is right or wrong, but about understanding the world we know and the world we don't.

The final part of the service was very interactive. We were invited to approach various prayer stations in the Living Room. One represented Islam, one represented eastern religions (mainly Hinduism and Buddhism), one represented Judaism, and the last one represented Christianity. At the final one, we each lit a candle. As people moved about, quietly, they were hugging one another, greeting one another, etc. Again, this is about the warmest, closest group of people I think I've ever seen. The service closed with music.

I returned on Wednesday for Ash Wednesday. The church was open for any to come, pray, receive ashes and a blessing, etc.

This place is amazing. They truly embrace the fact we aren't perfect. We all come as we are, with no judgment or pretenses. It's a safe place to explore your relationship with God and with fellow journeyers, as they call themselves. You find yourself drawn to them and drawn to wanting to be one of them. Sometimes you go to church and see people who are doing their time there out of a sense of obligation, guilt, or whatever. Although I'm sure this is the case with some, you would never guess that by looking around and interacting with the people there. They all seem to be there because they want to. They have a purpose and a calling. I invite anyone who is burned out on church or thinks they just don't belong in the standard worship service to give this place a try. It's truly a place where you don't feel the need for labels, don't feel the need to fit within a certain mold, and don't feel the need to "play church." You can come as you are and they are just fine with that. Oh, and you'll be truly blessed. You will feel the presence of God, if not personally, at least through His people here.

Our Lady's Maronite Catholic Church

The Maronite Church is one of the Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with the Pope, but allowed to operate autonomously. They are largely Lebanese, having roots tracing back to a monk named St. Maron, for whom they are named. Separate from Rome for many years, they later became affiliated with the Pope around the 12th century.

Our Lady's Maronite Catholic Church is largely Lebanese, but not exclusively by any means. I have passed the church on several occasions and have been curious about visiting. The building has a style similar to what you might see at an Orthodox Church. As you approach the entrance, you pass a memorial garden that's attractive enough that you almost want to just go sit there for awhile. Entering the building, I immediately smelled the familiar smell of incense throughout the place. If you have been in liturgical services that use incense, you understand how that smell can immediately put your mind and body in a place where you are ready to worship. Although the people were generally warm, no one greeted me coming in and I found my way to the service books and into the sanctuary on my own. The church isn't very large, so this was no problem.

The sanctuary is absolutely beautiful. It has stained glass windows with pictures of various saints and depictions of key scenes in the life of Christ throughout. There is an altar, which sits behind a curtain up front (it is similarly positioned as an iconostasis is in an Orthodox Church). The ceiling has a large icon of Christ on it and the ceiling above the altar has one of Mary. The sanctuary is not particularly large, but it is wonderful to be in! You can really feel the presence of God while sitting there in a place that has been specifically designed for worship and reverence of Him.

The service was equally beautiful. The Maronite Rite feels like a cross between an Orthodox and Catholic service (which makes sense, given it's an Eastern Catholic Church). The service has an ancient feel to it, with chanting, incense and beautiful music. There are quite a few prayers as well. Although the liturgical language of Syriac is used some, the services are largely in English. It was very heavenly and being a part of the service really brought me to a great place of worship. The prayers, chanting, music and all really bring you to a place where you appreciate and remember the greatness of God (and kind of makes you feel silly that you sometimes pray for things like your football team to win).

The focus of the service was on those who have died in the faith. There were pictures on display of family members and others. The homily also revolved around loved ones who have died. The minister was fairly brief and very interesting to listen to. There was also a baptism. This, of course, is always a special moment in the life of the church. The child was cute and cried several times, reminding us that in the midst of this life-giving sacrament, we are still just human. The baptism rite included the congregation renewing their baptismal vows. One thing the minister said about baptism that stuck in my mind was that it was like plugging in a lamp. It plugs us into the energy source. However, as he pointed out, we still have to turn the lamp on. That's our response to God and our baptism.

Anyway, I can't recommend this church enough. I wish I was more eloquent and could describe the service in a way where you can picture it, but instead I will just say this: You will truly know that you have been in a holy place set aside to honor God for worship as you leave.

Calvary South Austin

The Calvary Chapel churches are a group of evangelical churches founded in the 1960s. They number over 1000 worldwide. Calvary South Austin is a fairly young church on South Congress, having just started in the past decade. Often, the term "evangelical Christian" is misused in the political realm to mean the large group of conservative Protestants who tend to vote Republican. In the case of this church, it is truly an evangelical church. For example, this Thursday they will be starting a street ministry in which they are going to First Thursday on South Congress (a popular shopping event where merchants and vendors keep their doors open late and much shopping and drinking abound). They will be sending teams of people down there to witness to people on the street. Opportunities are being offered to those who are not well-versed in witnessing by pairing them up with an experienced person who will share the Gospel with people who are open to hearing it. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Entering the church, I immediately noticed a large number of young people. In fact, I would estimate that 90% of the congregation is under 40. Additionally, dress is very casual, as you would expect in South Austin. Most people wore jeans. The pastor, Bunjee Garrett, wore jeans as well. The people were generally friendly. I was greeted by several of them and made to feel comfortable. There are two worship services - I attended the late one - and I would estimate there were about 60-70 people present. However, I'm not very good at "crowd estimates" so that could be off a bit.

The music was led by a lady on guitar, accompanied by drums and a bass. She has a very pleasant voice. The style was praise-type music, but pretty laid back. It was almost folk or country at times - kind of Sheryl Crow style. Announcements included the above-referenced initiative to go witness on South Congress. Also, the church is very "family" in nature. Several times, mention was made of being a family. They have regular potluck dinners, for example. They have a marriage seminar, which includes food, coming up. There are various other activities - women's bible studies, men's prayer breakfasts, etc. It appears the church is quite active and close nit.

Prior to the sermon, people were asked if they had their bibles and, if not, were supplied with one. Given the location of the church, the laid back music, and the casual dress, the sermon was surprisingly formal. It was a little strange to look at a pastor in such casual attire and style and hear a 45 minute lecture-type sermon, complete with 3 points and a poem. The sermon was very Calvinistic in nature (the words depraved or depravity were used three times in the first 10 minutes). The basic point of the sermon was that, before salvation, man is completely worthless. The pastor compared us to the stench of raw sewage, for example. He spent approximately half the sermon hammering this point home. Man is worthless. Man can do nothing without God. Man is depraved. In fact, he believes all people who have not yet experienced salvation through Christ are energized by Satan, a real entity acting in this world. They get their energy and their actions are moved by Satan. As the sermon developed, he then told how God's grace rescues us from this condition and, it is only through this grace, that we are able to be saved and do good works.

The sermon was really more a lecture (which I think was the pastor's intent - he referred to it three times as a "study"). At the end, he invited anyone who had not experienced salvation to come down to the front after the service to talk to someone who can meet with them and show them the way.

My overall impression of the service was that the sermon was a little lengthy. The first half hour appeared very well-prepared, with the pastor often referring to his notes, but he seemed to wander a bit in the last 15 minutes, pulling two additional examples from Scripture. This, in my opinion, diminished earlier points and dragged the service out too long. However, I didn't see people fidgeting or looking at their watches, so I'm guessing this is not only expected, but welcome here. If I were to give any advice to the pastor, it would be to put your Scriptural references on the big power point screens. I had no trouble looking up the various passages, but I grew up in a Baptist church. If someone were new to church, they would have been completely lost going back and forth between various books of the Bible while trying to listen to the sermon.

If you are looking for serious Bible study and an evangelical church with a burden for reaching others, this is the place for you. The people are friendly, they appear very family-oriented and I'm quite certain one would feel at home here if they were to become a member. However, I don't think you'd be very comfortable if your goal was to sit quietly and not get involved. I don't think they would let you (that was meant tongue-in-cheek).