Kenmore Church of Christ

Good day to all my faithful follower(s)! I hope that everyone is recovering from that oh-so-bad Cavs loss Saturday night. What a craptastic way to end the best series anyone has seen in Cleveland in years. But oh well, right now you have the LeBron James of reverending here and we gots churchin' to talk bout!

This Sunday I decided to stick close to home and attend Kenmore Church of Christ, located in what would be the Mecca of Christendom, the suburb of Kenmore in Akron, Ohio (Barberton is Medina). Anyone who knows the Rev knows that he loves Kenmore. Fiercely. I'm also kind of a Church of Christ guy, so going here is like putting peanut butter and jelly together.

KCOC is located on East Ave, practically across the street Innes Middle School (Go Lions!). I've probably driven past it 10,000 times in my lifetime, not to mention walked past it every day that I went to Innes (sometimes I ran. I was a skinny kid, it was jr high, and there were bullies), however I have never been there. As a kid with my family, we always drove 15 minutes further to go to Southwest. I've always found that to be strange. . .

There are two parts to every church. The one that a visitor sees when they go to a church for the first time. And then there's the guts of the church. One that you can't really know unless you go there regularly.

Visitor part:

As I entered the building, I was greeted by about 50% of the congregation (there were only about 40 people in attendance) and everyone was very friendly. They weren't crazy pushy "You must come back!" but they were polite, asked where I was from (K-Town, sucka!), and what brought me there. Very nice and cordial. I felt welcomed and not awkward.

They were so nice, in fact, after the service, the lady sitting in front of me said it was nice having a deep voice singing behind her. Talk about being too kind! The Rev is many things, singer is not one of them. Terrific dancer is one of them.

My first impression was, wow, that's a lot of gray hair. The congregation is definitely aging and in need of some youth (more on that later).

The worship was headed up by a very friendly and well voiced lady (didn't have gray hair, guessing a dye job). We sang old skool hymns out of a hymnal, accompanied by a gray haired lady (no dye job) at the piano. I have to be honest, I have soft spot for the old hymns. Worship His Majesty and Count Your Blessings have a certain sound and feeling to them that I just love. No, it wasn't exciting or anything but it was good for old escuela.

Next up was the sermon, which was given by a guy who I believe is a part time pastor. His message talked about how through Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:15-23). Dude was a good speaker with a good message. I liked it.

And as in all good Church of Christ's, next up was communion. As a wanderer with no place to call home, it's nice to go to a church that serves communion.

Guts Part:

So there were only 40 people in attendance and as I said, they all had varying degrees of gray hair. I counted maybe 6 people under the age of 30. I'm not exaggerating. The church has absolutely no youth. I can only speculate as to why the congregation is shrinking but I've heard it's partly to do with a change in demographic (Kenmore went from being a mostly white burb to a very mixed burb). Also, as I've seen, with any small church you run into personalities (old and young alike) and of people who think they know what the church should do. "Oh, and by the way, my grandma donated the money to buy the pews." kind of attitude. Church - you need to meet your peoples needs and be apart of them. All your buildings, pews, soundsystem, etc. means nothing if you're not meeting people where they are.

The good news is that they talked about possibly becoming the site for a church plant in the area. Oh how I would love this! When I read that in the bulletin and when the preacher talked about it, my heart started to jump! Let's just say that if KCOC becomes a church plant, your Wandering Reverend may have to settle down. . . but we shall see.

Overall, a good experience. Friendly people. Good worship. Great sermon. What more could you want? Apparently, some youth and vigor. I just pray that they make the right decisions regarding their future. There is some serious potential there if they can get it together.

That wraps it up for your Reverend this week. I'm considering doing a midweek write up about other things but we shall see. I'm not sure how much the world can take of my charm and wit. . . or how much patience people have for reading this online rag.

Until next Sunday,

Rev.

Emmanuel Christian Assembly - Finally, a small church

Happy Memorial Day to all of my loyal readers! I hope that you have plans to grill some dogs, burgers, and brats and maybe shoot a little cornhole! Man do I love a good BBQ . . . 

This Sunday, your Wandering Reverend ended up at Emmanuel Christian Assembly, located in the city that tastes chicken, Barberton. I ended up here for one reason: my old friend who I ain't seen in a minute, Mandi, asked me. She sent me a message and said she loved my blog (I mostly thought people just tolerated it) and that I should come to her church. 

Let me digress for a moment. Mandi, as far as I know, has no degree from seminary. I don't think she's ever worked for Billy Graham. Nor is she in line to be Pope. However, she had the

audacity to simply invite me to her church. I've heard time and again from pollsters and the like that a lot of people are never even asked by their friends to go to church. Not even asked. What

 would happen if more people simply asked their friends and family to church on Sunday? And  what if they came? And what conversations would take place over lunch? Maybe, just maybe, there might be some souls saved because of one little thing: they were invited to church. (Rev now steps down from pulpit). 

Alright, back to business. ECA is a small church and I have to be honest, I needed a break from the biggies. A man can only take so much impersonal worship. People here were very nice and spoke to me during break (yes, they had a break after worship. Different, yes. But kind of a cool way to have fellowship). While they didn't have a cool prize for the new guy (Lighthouse is still in the lead), a couple of the people spoke to me for a little bit and even invited me back. I have to tell you, that goes a long way in showing that your church actually cares for the lost. 

One critique out of love: the worship was little discombobulated. It seemed as though not everyone was on the same page and that it was just a little, well, off. However, my wandering ears (yes, the wandering reverend has wandering ears as well) heard one of the singers note that it was a little off and was talking about what they could do to fix it. Individually, the singers had great voices, the band was good, and they had a good selection of hymns. The Lord was worshipped. 

Another interesting tid bit was the asking for volunteers. My experience has been that you make the announcement and then sit back down, praying that someone will come up and take you up on it after service. But not these guys. He asked for volunteers to clean the building, and then asked for a show of hands of people that would do it. Yeah, it kind of puts people on the spot but I'm a firm believer in the fact that sometimes people need to be put on that spot. And yes, several people rose their hands. Job done. 

The resident holy man's sermon was from Phillipians 1, talking about things that we struggle with and how we need to give them to God. He also spoke about how Christ should be exalted through our bodies, that is, in what we do and say to others. He was no Knute Larson but his message was sound and his challenge sincere. Good stuff. 

All in all, a good experience. My friend Mandi wasn't there (according to her husband she's 900 weeks pregnant with triplets!). If you're like me, and maybe not sure you want to hit up the big impersonal churches, ECA is a good place to start looking. 

Short and sweet but hey, it's BBQ time and my belly is growling! 

Revvin' it up, 

Rev. 

A very special Akron Baptist Temple

This Sunday I headed out to St. Augustine’s… scratch that. My cousin, Nick, just called and asked if we wanted to go to the Akron Baptist Temple with him. What can I say? I’m a sucker for spur of the moment fun. So off I went! 

This Sunday my travelling companion was my good friend and roommate, Jerome. The guy you would definitely want on your team in case of a Zombie Apocolypse, for his natural living skills and penchance for adventure (note: picture at right is from his Facebook page. Oh yeah!). 

I have actually been to ABT a couple of times before and not only does my cousin and his wife attend, a very awesome local band named Chasing Chariots attends there as well (no, they aren’t paying me for this plug. But if they want to, I will take the money). All very cool people.  

They normally have two services which run simultaneously. One service takes place in the main sanctuary and has your traditional hymns whereas the other service, called The Bridge, plays Christian rock worship songs. After the worship, they both come together (via big screen for The Bridge) for the pastor’s sermon.  

However, this Sunday was different. ABT was celebrating its 75^th anniversary (last church I went to was celebrating a big event as well…strange). The mayor of Akron, Don Plusquellic, opened up with some kind words to the congregation and proclaimed May 17^th as “Akron Baptist Temple Day” (note: another strange coincidence is that this was the first of two official days I saw proclaimed yesterday. The city of Wadsworth proclaimed the day as Andrew Gipson Day, my cousin, for his Eagle Scout achievement…again, strange). And instead of their regular pastor speaking, they had a guest speaker come in. So really, I didn’t get the “real” ABT experience. Crap.  

Lucky for me, the guest speaker was awesome. His sermon centered around Caleb, one of the 12 spies from the Old Testament who were sent to spy out the promised land ahead of the rest of Israelites. He was one of two (the other being Joshua) who would come back and say that the land was ripe for the taking. The others were too afraid of the enemies they saw. The idea being that while the other spies compared the enemy to themselves, Caleb and Joshua compared them to God. What a great thought to have when those big life problems come at you. Especially for a particular wanderer who is looking for that right place to call home. . . uh, not me. A friend of mine. :) 

Unfortunately, this really isn't a great review of the church. First of all, it was a Very Special Edition of ABT and I attended with my cousin, who of course, was very friendly to me. To get a real feel I'll need to attend on a Sunday when I know they're not looking for me. You know, ninja style. 

On a personal note, my spiritual and physical discipline of late has sucked. One of the reasons for my journey is to develop my spiritual self. Same with the physical. I've been uber lethargic! I mean, I'm not trying to have the strength of Samson and the spiritual power to call down thunder bolts and lightning (very very frightening!). I just want to be able to run without passing out before I get to the end of the block and do a bible study a couple of times a week.

I just need to make it a habit. I wish the bible was more addictive. Cigarettes are pretty addicting. Maybe if they laced the pages with nicotine or something (note: call Gideons with marketing idea).  

Much love! 

Rev. 

Mega Church part 2: Out for Revenge!

What a weekend. Mother's Day was great (Hi Mom!). Rubber City Rollergirls lost. Cavs destroyed the Hawks. And yours truly made another wonderful trip to another wonderful church. 

This Sunday I went to The Chapel part 2: Green Campus. As in all sequels, it's a little crazier than part one and there's a lot more gore. . . well, not really but you see where I'm going with this. No? You don't? Oh. . . um. . . well then I should just get started. 

Since I just couldn't get enough of that thing they do at the Chapel, I decided to check out their Green Campus located in, well, Green. It's a newer facility that I believe they built 5 or 6 years ago. It's tucked back off the road, where they somehow manage to hide this monumental size building. It's freaking huge! However, unlike the Akron campus, with its maze of hallways that look like they were built by a kid high on 6 cups of Kool Aid with Lego's, the Green campus is neatly built and all roads lead to the main sanctuary. 

My good friend and sister, Tricia, tagged along with me on this adventure (she not-so-secretly wants to leave Akron and live in Green. I not-so-secretly loath her for ever wanting to leave Akron). 

First of all, this is one them there modern churches that have a cafe located in them, with very cheap caffeinated beverages (iced coffee for a $1! Score!). It was a nice area to get hopped up on legal uppers and mingle with your brothers and sisters in the Lord. I dug it. 

Next, we made our way into the sanctuary for the service. What happened next shook us both to the core. Let me start by saying that in the Church of Christ denomination, there are some that think that having worship with instruments is wrong (they're a little nutty). Well, what they had here would cause they're doctrinal heads to explode on sight. They didn't just have a piano. They didn't just have a band. They had a full on, knock your socks off, orchestra! I'm talking strings, wind instruments, percussion section, the whole shebang! Oh! And they had a conductor! A conductor! With that little stick and everything! 

As I took this in, I looked over at Tricia and her eyes were wide with a look of "What in the hotel is this?" At first I was thinking, this is completely over the top and unnecessary. First of all, talk about distracting. It was more like a night at the opera than worship. Second of all, how much time and energy is put into this? Couldn't that effort be put forth elsewhere? 

But after I gave it some thought, maybe I shouldn't have been so critical. These flutists, trombonists, and percussionists all have talents and they need an outlet for them. And, praise God, they're using them in the worship of the Lord. So while to me it was distracting and somewhat baroque, I say good on them for giving them an outlet. 

This was Knute Larson's last sermon at the Green campus and they started things off right with his beatification ceremony. I kid. . . only slightly. I think that if it was up to the people at the Chapel, they'd be renaming the place Saint Knute of the Cedars at North Hill Memorial Chapel. They're ceremony of recognition to him included a glowing speech by they're 2nd in command and was followed up with a song by the super orchestra. 

After this, though, Knute gave a sermon that was both classy and honorable. Instead of rambling on and on about his life or memories, he instead simply stated the Gospel message of hope through Christ. Nothing more. He took his sermon from Paul's tearful good bye to the Ephesians found in Acts 20:13-38. I said it before and I'll say it again, the man has a God given gift of gab. I don't think I've ever heard a better speaker (sorry Nathan!). Knute Larson, you rock. 

With that, if you're looking for a large church that meets pretty much all of your families needs, the Chapel in Green is a great place to start looking. They have classes for every age group. A lovely facility. And probably any other amenity you're looking for. The only thing they'll be missing now is one Knute Larson. 

But for this Reverend, he must wander on. There are a many church that need to be visited and throroughly reviewed. Roman Catholic. Lutheran. Methodist. Even the Unitarian Universalist, or as they call themselve's, UU's. Or as I call them, you get up on Sunday morning for this?

As I know, one day the Reverend will have to stop wandering and will need to settle down in a church of the Lord's choosing. When that is exactly, I'm not sure. But I believe that God will let know when that time is.  

Join me next time on, As the Reverend Turns. 

Rev. 

My First Mega Church - The Chapel in Akron

This past weekend brought me some good Halo time with Mike, Cory, and Lan, some good BBQ time with the S. Block, and of course, a new church. 

I decided to head on over to Akron's biggest and baddest church, The Chapel. This wasn't the first time I had been to The Chapel. In the days before I became a serious Christian, I'd pop into The Chapel to get rid of the guilt of not going to church and boozing it for the last 3 weeks. Call it a Protestant's form of confession, minus the Hail Mary's and Our Father's. 

The Chapel is located in downtown, historic (I can verify that), Akron, Ohio, right near our lovely university. 

Ignoring fears of swine flu, I headed out to see what a Wandering Reverend would find. 

First of all, as anyone who has ever been to The Chapel knows, the place is huge. Making matters worse, I think they've added on over the years, so the hallways are reminiscent of 

the Labrynth (lucky for me - no Minotaurs). Thankfully, there are plenty of signs to help guide you towards your destination. 

As I had expected, no one really greeted me or even acknowledged I was there. I mean, the place is frickin' huge. There's no way that I know of that they could do anything different. Just too many people to know who is new and who isn't. If you're just looking to sneak in and sneak out (as I was doing back in the day), then it's the perfect place. If you're looking for people to welcome you and give you a free gift (I was), then keep moving. 

To counter this, however, they really push their Adult Bible Fellowships (ABF's for those who love acronyms), which are small groups that meet during the week. I've never been to one, so I can't really speak for it. But they sound good.

 

Another lucky thing for me - this Sunday was the Sunday that they take communion. Winner, winner! Chicken dinner! They did this very well, with lots of time for personal reflection and prayer. 

Next up was Knute Larson's (or as I call him, K-Nute-Dawg)  sermon. The Chapel attracts a lot of people because, well, Knute is a great preacher. Great message. Good jokes. Very down to earth. His message was on freedom in Christ, from Galatians 5:1, which for a newly wandering Reverend, it was just the thing to hear. I took a lot away from it. 

After this, it was over. I wandered out of the crowded foyer onto the mean streets of Akron. While the worship was great and the message awesome, you definitely do miss out on the Christian fellowship if you're not a member or in a small group. 

It's easy to get lost in this place or be a "Sunday Christian" if you're not looking to get involved. However, if you're looking to get moving, they have plenty for you. Plenty. 

But no free mug or candy. 

Your Wanderer, 

Reverend