Oh my goodness! Wow! I can hardly get over the experience we had at church this morning. It was truly like no experience I've ever had before, and I'm pretty sure I'll never look at welcoming church visitors the same again.
We got up this morning and prepared to leave Fairview for Fairview; Fairview Missionary Baptist Church, that is. FMBC is located just off of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in OKC and is a predominantly African American congregation with lovely connections to our town of Fairview. I'm not entirely certain how it all got started, but a few years back, our own FMBC (Fairview Mennonite Brethren Church) began to journey once a year with their youth group to share in Sunday worship with the people of Fairview Missionary Baptist, and a reputation began to take form in the town of Fairview. Rumors got around about this amazing church in the city where the people are friendlier than you can imagine and the Lord is worshiped and the Word is taught in a way that makes you want to return again and again.
We heard the rumors and we wanted to go! But to be honest, we were a little nervous. It's one thing to try something new with a crowd of friends around you, but something else entirely to strike out and walk in on your own, so when my friend Amanda, who has attended FMBC before, said she wanted to meet us there, we jumped at a chance to have an ally by our sides. You see, my husband and I both grew up in tiny little Northwest, Oklahoma towns where the African American populations consist of approximately one percent, and we have never in all of our 36 years been the minority race in a room full of people. I have to admit the thought was a little bit intimidating, but let me tell you, the actual experience was phenomenal!
We have NEVER felt so welcomed to any place in our entire lives! This congregation embraced us (Literally! Again and Again! Jason said he'd never had so many hugs!) into their fold as if we were long lost friends or family or celebrities who had finally come back home.
As we walked through the parking lot towards the building with nervousness trailing closely on our heels, we encountered what would be the first of so, so many people who would put our minds at ease and place a soft spot in our hearts for the people of this congregation. A lady stopped right there in the rain to shake our hands and welcome us to church. She spoke to our children and with love and delight in her voice and her radiant smile made us immediately feel that everything was going to be just fine. As we passed through the doors and into the foyer, this same scenario was repeated again and again as both men and women welcomed us with hugs and handshakes and sincere joy in their eyes and voices as they exclaimed their pleasure at having us in the House of God with them this morning. I felt like the Grinch whose heart grew three sizes that day. Love and thanksgiving just continued to swell within me at the beautiful welcome we received.
We entered the sanctuary as the choir, clothed in beautiful purple robes, began to sing praises to the Lord! This too was far different than the majority of churches we've attended. The lead singer belted out phrases in a gorgeous, soulful, powerful voice as the choir backed her up, and we stumbled around finding our own rhythm and where and when and how to sing. There was no holding back here, however. For one thing the music, with drums and organ, piano, guitar and tamberines galore was so loud it covered our voices entirely and made us feel like we could shriek to the rafters with no fear that anyone but God would hear. The entire service was so loud, in fact, that our children often covered their ears and said they wished they had brought ear plugs. I'll have to admit, there were a few times that the volume was actually physically painful, but what we heard was JUST SO GOOD, that it just didn't matter one bit, as we clapped and sang and worshipped our God with the good people of this great church. There were two special music numbers by members of the church with the choir and a saxophone joining in, and I loved every single moment as they sang the words to songs entitled, "I got it!" and "I need you Lord". What an absolute pleasure to have been there to experience this talent being used to glorify the Lord!
The pastor of the FMBC is Dr. J. A. Reed, Jr. He has been senior pastor of this church since 1969, and it is easy to see why. He is a man who obviously loves and cares for his people and a leader who isn't afraid to tell it like it is. His message was powerful both in volume and content and there wasn't a moment in the three hour service (which we were assured is not the norm) that I felt myself drifting or bored or uncomfortable. He was funny and encouraging and motivating, and he brought the TRUTH! Being in the midst of a month dedicated to families, the message was on Why Society is Out of Order and the scripture taken from Genesis chapter 2, and I literally have 10 pages of notes! From the responsibilities of men to be the leaders of their homes, for women to submit to their husbands, and for young men to be in the Word, find Work, and develop some Wealth before they even think about a Woman, Pastor Reed held absolutely nothing back. He told the TRUTH and he told it AGAIN, and even my quiet husband was clapping his hands and standing in agreement. He showed us how when the Genesis principles are broken, you end up with a broken society, and the only way to return to order in society is to return to God's perfect plan in the Word. I could seriously go on and on about all I learned today, and I wish every one of you could have heard the sermon we were blessed with this Sunday. God is such an awesome God, and the Fairview Missionary Baptist Church is a church truly blessed by God!
Towards the end of the service, Pastor Reed called all the young people down front so he could have a special talk with them. We discovered that sometime in the past few days they had lost one of their youth to a terrible tragedy, and the pastor took the time to talk with these grieving young people as a father to his children. He encouraged them not to ask Why? but to realize the answer is Why Not?, and he encouraged them to praise God for the life of their friend, no matter how short. In addition, he called them out, urging the entire congregation to reevaluate their lives and see that they are living day by day in a Godly manner. He asked for children who were in Sunday School to raise their hands and then pointed out those whose hands weren't raised and asked them why they weren't there. He explained the purpose and importance of learning and understanding God's word in order to live Godly lives. It was a poignant and meaningful moment, and even though it caused the service to go well over it's regular ending time, the Holy Spirit was moving and it was well worth the wait.
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| My oldest is just sure that her Grandmother SueEllen will look just like the lady in pink in a few years! I sure hope so! |
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