The Hyphen House

(LKH)

This church is across the street from a homeless shelter in an unassuming metal building. Two teen-aged African American girls greeted us at the door. A white boy, around the age of four, stood talking to an older African American woman like she was his grandma. I ran into an acquaintance on the stairs who was surprised and happy to see me. We found seats as the singing began. I choked up when I surveyed the worship team—a group of twenty people comprised of every possible ethnic background. We sat next to a black woman, in front of a white family, and behind an interracial couple and their daughter. For the benediction we held hands across the aisle, and I felt God’s connection through all the different colored hands. The staff reflects the intentional multi-racial mission of this church, with white, black, Asian, and Hispanic leaders.

I enjoyed reciting the Nicene creed, singing hymns and contemporary praise and worship, and standing for the reading of the Word. The pastor, a gentle yet authoritative black man with a welcoming spirit, had just returned from a short sick leave and sang a song of thanks. He preached a sermon that directly applied to our lives, about special divine guidance. Everyone was so different yet so loving and warm.

God is moving there to heal racial strife. He is uniting people of all economic backgrounds. He is letting His Word be proclaimed. Through the different ministries of the church, He is rehabilitating drug and alcohol addicts and former inmates, serving those dealing with grief, and offering a viable model for unity to those who are willing to give up a little something to worship with everyone.

I run a blog for the grad students of the Conference on Faith and History. Click here to see a recent post by my good friend Bald Blogger on the NAACP and the Faith of our Fathers and Mothers.

LKH



First on our list was a Messianic Jewish congregation. We had wanted to visit for quite some time, so we cleared a Saturday (Shabbat, or Sabbath) to attend the worship service. The building is modern with some tell-tale signs of Jewish influence, like the giant menorah sculpture on the front lawn and the beautiful Ark of the Covenant replica in the sanctuary.

The service began with singing and blessings. The elders, wearing yamakas and prayer shawls, blessed the large scroll with the Torah and it came out of the Ark. Then the rabbi paraded the Torah through the aisles, while celebratory music played. People brought their own copies of Scripture, touched it to the scroll, and kissed it. Torah readings commenced, one a somber reading, one sung in Hebrew (incredibly beautiful), and a New Testament reading by the mother of a baby receiving dedication that day. The elders extended prayer shawls over the children as they were blessed and dismissed to "Shabbat school." The rest of the singing was half in Hebrew and half in English, and interspersed with prayer and responsive readings. During the songs, a group of women led dancing. A dancer myself, I was deeply moved. And at one point, nearly half the congregation was dancing together, arms around each other, celebrating! The prayer books are in Hebrew on the right page, and English and phonetic Hebrew on the left page (we got a little confused at first until we remembered to start flipping the book from the right, not the left!).

A guest rabbi spoke on the importance of welcoming Yeshua (Jesus) home. He related his personal story of conversion from Judaism and the hope he had found in Yeshua the Messiah. He spoke of healing and reconciliation in very meaningful ways. We found his message particularly poignant for our lives.

We felt God moving here in a spirit of joy and healing. We loved the celebratory atmosphere of the whole service and the family-oriented feeling of the congregation. There was something almost mystical about the experience... perhaps because so much was new or unfamiliar to us... but I think it was more than that. I felt a homesickness for Israel that brought me to tears. Having visited Jerusalem at age 17, I often think back to being there. But this was a homesickness for the Israel, and world, that will be whole again when Christ returns... When we welcome Yeshua home.

LKH

My husband and I have decided in the past few months to visit a variety churches in the area. We want to see how God is moving in the Church, how local bodies minister, and how we can grow in the process. We could be critical of each place, but that's not the point. I'll be blogging about our "church tour" here and intentionally focusing on the positive aspects.

So far, the process has been fascinating. We're excited to see what happens.

Welcome to yet another platform for us to speak our minds. Enjoy!