Bob’s thoughts:
Today we were led to Westminster UP, about 20 miles from the church we planned to visit today. We found very limited parking, but were early enough to get a spot.
We entered from the rear of the building, which brought us to the front of the Sanctuary. I don’t know if there is any signage coming in the front doors, but the rest rooms were marked.
There is a lot of stained glass but it doesn’t seem to fit with the Sanctuary. I enjoyed the shadow pattern from the ceiling light fixtures, and found the organ pipe layout most unusual.
The Call to Worship was a responsive reading from the Shorter Catechism, a good reminder. A portion of the service near the end was headed “Responding to God’s Word” which included prayers and the offering.
The sermon was the conclusion of a series on the “12” Commandments. The pastor developed that although we are called as far back as Leviticus to love our neighbor, Christ’s call was different as He calls us to love our neighbor as He has loved us. An interesting question, in my opinion, was whether unbelievers would say that we love one another.
The lack of signage seemed to support my theory of inward focus, as I found little mention of mission or outreach.
I was really enjoying a Starbuck’s decaf (for all of you who know my cardiologist). I had a shot of black cherry flavor and wanted that last gulp as the service was starting. I was not prepared for the couple spoonfuls of grounds in the bottom of the cup. Made it hard to focus on worship.
Jan’s thoughts:
Since the church is situated in a residential area, parking is at a premium. Upon entering I saw a (helpful) sign indicating restrooms, but that was the only signage I observed.
After entering only a few steps we were warmly greeted by the pastor, who also gave us bulletins and directions to the Sanctuary. We had little time before the service, so we headed for the Sanctuary. As it happened, we entered at the front of the Sanctuary and I felt conspicuous as we made our way all the way to the back. However several people gave us friendly smiles and greetings as we walked past. Even after we were seated the woman at the other end of the pew where we sat greeted us and instructed us as to which hymnal was required for the first hymn. I make note of this because it often doesn’t happen even at very friendly churches.
The organ, though very well played, I thought, was loud enough that I was glad we sat all the way in the back.
The Sanctuary was light yellow with very light wood pews and lots of matching wood in the Chancel area. The organ pipes were arranged imaginatively, but this precluded displaying a cross, so the only cross in the front was a brass one on the Communion table. The windows were very large with dark colors and intricate, older-style pictures in stained glass.
The service and music were traditional, although there was evidence of at least an occasional blended service.
During worship the congregation joined in the Apostle’s Creed. I know there are denominations that exclude the words “He descended into Hell” when reciting the Apostle’s Creed, but this was the first time I experienced this in a Presbyterian church.
The sermon was the last in the pastor’s summer series. It was based on John 13:31-35 and was entitled, “The New Commandment.” This “new” commandment, of course, is that those following Jesus “love one another.” He pointed out that this commandment can also be found in Leviticus, so it’s not entirely new. And of course some have asked, “Who is ‘one another’?” He acknowledged that it is a difficult command to apply, especially when the person we are commanded to love has caused us pain, but we need to ask God to help us love that person and we must pray for that person as the first step to loving them. Loving others proves our discipleship. Even those who persecuted members of the early church had to admit that “They do love each other.” And he ended with the question: Do people say that about us? A good question for each of us to ask ourselves, I think.
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