Where was Dan on May 20th?

Well..., I was visiting a couple of churches in Houston. I started out at First United Methodist in Pearland, a southern suburb of Houston, and then went to the contemporary service at Second Baptist Church.

The Methodist Church is being creative with the styles of worship they are using. I went to what's called the Informal Service, which was at 8:30 a.m. There was a choir, handbell choir, and an organist/pianist, depending on what the piece called for. It was pretty traditional, but definitely informal. For one thing, their senior pastor wears a suit rather than a robe at this service. Also, there are not the usual scripture readings and liturgical prayers.

FUMC Pearland also has a contemporary service at 9:40 a.m. and a traditional service at 11:00 a.m. Their traditional service includes the normal liturgical moments you might expect in a methodist congregation.

On Saturday evenings, there is a worship service for women only! Can you believe it? It's "designed to inspire and encourage women by connecting them to a greater life in Christ" (from their website).

And how about this: They have a Sunday evening service that's called "Country Gospel Gathering." It begins at 6 p.m., but dancing starts at 5:30 p.m.! Read what their pastor says about this service:

The room we gather in will be set up like a bar. I’ve always considered the word “bar” to be a word that stands for “broken and real”. We will come to this gathering as a people broken by and in a real world, but also a people redeemed by God’s great love in Jesus Christ. I guess it all boils down to what we bring to God’s throne as we come to worship. In this service we will intentionally face the reality of our brokenness in light of the reality of God’s healing and love.
Dr. Jerry Pennington

Now here's a church that is trying to reach people with different needs. Apparently, they're not afraid to try anything if there's a possibility to reach people with the gospel of Christ.

After the service, I was off to see the 11:11 service at 2nd Baptist Houston. Ed Young is the senior pastor of this church, but his son Ben preaches at this 11:11 service, which is a contemporary service.

As I expected, this was a well-crafted service: The music was loud and inviting, yet I could always understand the lyrics. The on stage band had a male and female vocalist. They sang strictly contemporary music at this service, without mixing in any hymns. But a couple of their selections had to be 8 or 9 years old. I recognized all but one of the songs, having sung them in our own congregation at one time or another.

When the music part was over, the lights went out. I knew Ben was walking on stage at this time. This is a pretty cool transition. I'd like to be able to do that. But you need an auditorium that is totally enclosed without outside light.

The lights came up and there was Ben Young preaching a very relevant message, part one in a three part series on the spirit-filled life. He's let his hair grow out and has a striking resemblance to his older brother, Ed Young, Jr. Anyway, the preaching seemed extemporaneous, but I could still see the outline, hidden as it was.

What was striking was the end of the service. This is the first service I've visited during my sabbatical where an invitation was given at the end. 10 or 12 people walked forward and were met by counselors at the front of the stage. Ben affirmed them coming forward; then they were led off to some rooms in the back in order to ascertain the decisions they made in the service.

After the invitation, an offering was taken up, while the female vocalist sang, accompanied by the band. They closed with a couple of announcements, spoken by Ben, and the service was over. I like Ben's preaching. The music was riveting too. I worshiped the Holy One.

Here's the worship schedule for 2nd Baptist Church (and this is just their main campus on Woodway). The descriptions of the services are taken directly from their website:

Saturday

Saturday at Six is characterized by a casual and intimate feel, combined with challenging message from God’s Word by Dr. Young. The music for the service features a praise team and a band that is comfortable playing a variety of styles such as jazz, southern gospel, or traditional hymns. Come as you are and enjoy this refreshing time of worship.

Sunday

The 9:30 AM worship service at Woodway seeks to exalt the greatness of God through powerful music and preaching. The service features a three hundred member choir and live orchestra that lead the congregation in a worship experience which combines traditional hymns and worship choruses with powerful anthems and solos. In addition to these musical elements, the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism prepare the worshiper to hear Dr. Young preach a dynamic word from God.

The 11:11 AM service was born in January 2001 with a vision to reach young adults through a participatory worship service with a modern rock sound. Ben Young seeks to communicate God’s Word in a creative and relevant way, and the 11:11 Band creates an atmosphere that connects with modern culture while exalting God through worship. If you enjoy electric guitars, creative video, and a casual atmosphere the 11:11 service is for you.

Sunday 6:00 PM Service

Second Family Reunion meets in the Old Sanctuary. This traditional service combines the classic preaching of Dr. Jim Deloach and Wallace Henley with inspirational and uplifting music.

Sunday 7:00 PM Service

Logos meets in the C-Gym. Logos is an opportunity to come and reflect on God’s grace and truth in an “unplugged” worship setting. The service features live acoustic music, responsive readings, corporate prayer, and a challenging message from God’s Word. This casual service is a great way to start your week by connecting with God and others.

In my church people sometimes say that we're really two churches meeting at the same location, because of our two different morning services, and two different Sunday Schools. But I disagree. I've just written about two different churches, one Methodist and one Baptist. These churches have different styles of worship to address the different kinds of people in our culture. And yet, I doubt anyone says of 2nd Baptist Houston that they are really 4 or 5 different churches meeting on the same campus.

What I'm saying is that we should celebrate our diversity and be as creative as we can when it comes to our worship services. This might just involve different kinds of worship experiences. We should remain open to this, although we have a number of people in our church who want to combine our two services into one. This is definitely something that needs to be prayed through, regardless of the fact that we are moving into a new facility in the near future.

One more thing: I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express on Saturday night, so I felt really special. If you don't get what I just said, then you don't watch a lot of commercials.