Methodist Church Visit

     Alright. What can be said about the Methodist Church after my class visit to one of their worship services this past Sunday? To say the least, several aspects captured my interest. First of all, I was raised in a Lutheran family. Consequently, I am very well acquainted with Lutheran worship, church set up and so on. What I found most interesting about the worship service were the differences that I had noticed between my Lutheran church back in Canada and the Methodist
church here in New Orleans.

     I noticed the first difference between the two as soon as I had walked into the church. First Grace United Methodist Church is a small yet beautiful church. There are decorations throughout the church (like plant vines hanging off the second floor into the main area or the massive stained glass picture of Jesus in the front of the church) and everything is very aesthetically pleasing. This contrasts my old Lutheran church immensely. The altar and stand are made of wood and there is a wooden cross at the front of the church. The only decorative pieces within the church are two purple rectangles of cloth with a gold cross on each which are put over the altar and stand. The windows are all plain and tinted and the lighting is significantly darker than First Grace United Methodist Church (F.G.U.M.C.). Overall, my old church (Bread of Life) is very plain in comparison to the F.G.U.M.C..
     A second difference I had noticed had to due with the congregation. F.G.U.M.C. has great diversity among its congregation whereas Bread of Life is predominantly a white congregation. Before I continue, I should say that I am from Canada and due to the greatly reduced level of ethnic diversity in Regina, my hometown, compared to New Orleans may be a significant factor to consider. Nonetheless, in comparison to being used to worshiping with white people only, the diversity was truly an experience.
    Finally, I noticed a difference between each pastors message. This, I believe, is due to the significantly different cultures of Canada and the United States. Back home, my pastors messages would usually revolve around giving what we could spare, in the form of money usually, as donations to feed those who were hungry or to fund world relief funds. Pastor Anglim and Dr. Kimbrough, however, transmitted messages which reflected more of a class struggle than simply feeding the poor. Matters concerning education, social class and racism arose in their messages. Again, I believe that this is due to the different cultures between the two countries. I do not want to come across as anything but neutral, however, regarding the messages; Canada has a better public education system than the States. Concerning racism, due to the diverse demography of New Orleans in comparison to where I am from, it is no surprise that there would be race issues. Due to the education problem and problem with racism, I am also not surprised that class was mentioned. Also, it seems that because Canada has a lack of internal problems, it can afford to spend more time and money addressing international problems (if pastors messages are 100% accurate in reflecting the cities or even country they preach in). Therefore, I am not surprised that the messages of each churches pastors were different. They reflected the needs of their community.
     Ultimately, I am very happy to have been able to participate in a worship service at F.G.U.M.C.. It broadened my mind into other branches of Christianity and provided a more hands on learning experience. I would also like to thank the congregation for being so welcoming. It was truly a good, albeit long, experience.