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4. BABIES NEED THE CHURCH
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YOUR
FIRST SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS
By the time you read this book, you may have attended a few evangelical Sunday
school classes and worship services. If you have, this chapter will help you understand
what you already have experienced. If you are so recently born again that you
are still anticipating your first Sunday in an evangelical church, these comments
may be valuable in preparing you for experiences which can be spiritually uplifting
and confusing at the same time.
ARRIVE
EARLY
The
first time you attend a Sunday school you should plan to arrive at least 15 minutes
before starting time, especially if you have young children. This extra 15 minutes
will give you time to get your children situated in their classes before it is
time for your class to begin.
STRUCTURE
OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL SESSION
Sunday school usually lasts an hour. The traditional schedule for this hour used
to include opening and closing exercises in the sanctuary with dispersal to classrooms
for the time in the middle portion of that hour. However, this caused such fragmentation
of a relatively short period of time that many Sunday schools have students reporting
directly to their classrooms.
The study of the Bible should be done in the most efficient and effective manner possible. But Sunday schools are operated by volunteers who may have no professional training in good teaching techniques. However, many teachers do an excellent job. They spend hours preparing the lesson and make a sincere effort to keep things interesting. The lesson discussion should provide opportunity for interaction between teacher and students in the form of concept questions, exchange of ideas, and expressions of differing views.
YOUR
FIRST MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE
You might expect the sanctuary to convey an atmosphere of awe and reverence. Instead,
you may find worshippers chatting in the aisles and over seat backs as they wait
for the service to begin. Remember that you are observing the family of God getting
together for another family reunion. Evangelicals are known for their friendliness
and the church often forms the hub of their whole lives. People who worship together
are best friends as well as brothers and sisters together in Jesus Christ. That's
why the exchanging of greetings and pleasantries may be an accepted part of pre-worship
activities.
The organ prelude tends to quiet things down and some pastors ask the congregation to assume an attitude of prayerful meditation for two or three minutes before the service begins.
CALL
TO WORSHIP AND INVOCATION
This may be very informal, not much more than a few words of greeting and a brief,
extemporaneous prayer by the pastor or worship leader. The content of that short
prayer of invocation is extremely important, however. The word "invocation"
comes from two Latin words which mean to "call in" or literally, to
"voice in". Therefore, the invocation is the act of calling in the presence
of the Holy Spirit to the worship service.
CONGREGATIONAL
SINGING
Evangelical congregations are known for their enthusiastic and relatively spirited
singing. A worship leader may conduct the singing and sometimes arm motions are
used. Both piano and organ may be used and the choir will sing along. For the
evening service, a small orchestra made up of volunteers may play along with the
singing. Many churches have an orchestra for the morning service, also.
THE
PIANO
Evangelical
piano playing deserves a special mention at this point. If this is your first
evangelical service, you may not have heard anything quite like it. The arrangements
in the hymnal are very dull and unimaginative. They consist of solid, four note
chords with few frills. This is because these arrangements were written to be
sung in four part harmony. However, evangelical singing has given rise to a style
of piano playing which expands the basic melody and harmony into a lively and
vibrant accompaniment. This greatly enhances the congregational singing and special
music. Many evangelical pianists are self-taught as far as the improvisations
on the hymns are concerned. Some can play any song in any key by ear. If you are
used to hearing hymns played ker-plunk, ker-plunk straight from the hymnal, you
will be thrilled by a good evangelical pianist. This kind of playing may be a
skill, it may be a talent, or it may be a gift straight from the Lord.
Click for more on the evangelical pianist:
PRAYER
Evangelical pastors pray extemporaneously and sometimes with great fervor. On
occasion, the pastor may call on a respected member of the congregation to pray.
Some congregations follow the custom of simultaneous prayer. While the pastor
or a layman is leading in prayer, members of the congregation may join in with
oral prayers of their own. During the prayer, the congregation may stand, sit
with bowed heads, or kneel in the pews while facing the rear of the church. Many
churches provide an open altar during prayer time. This gives anyone an opportunity
to go forward to the sanctuary altar and pray silently while the pastor is praying.
CHOIR
SELECTIONS
The members of the choir may be volunteers rather than persons who have been selected
by audition. They may or may not wear robes. However, evangelical choir music
is usually lively and quite sound musically. The selection may be an arrangement
or variation of a hymn or Gospel song rather than an anthem. The choir members
may take seats down on the floor of the sanctuary when their selection and all
congregational singing is finished.
THE
OFFERING
Evangelical churches are financed through a process known as tithing. Tithing
is giving ten percent of your income to the Lord. This custom was established
by God in the Old Testament era as a means of maintaining the temple and the people
who worked there. It is still the best system for supporting all that goes on
in the church, from salaries to plant maintenance. The practice of tithing permits
a relatively small congregation to maintain an attractive sanctuary and pay a
pastor a living wage. Tithing is tax deductible, of course. Most churches maintain
an accounting system and provide a receipt at the end of the calendar year for
tax purposes.
You need to begin thinking about tithing. In addition to being a sound process for financing a church program, tithing can be a source of spiritual blessing for the contributor. However, if you are already tithing your income to some other ministry, or if you are still thinking through the doctrine of tithing for yourself and your family, a courtesy contribution of a dollar or two in the offering plate will be perfectly acceptable.
SPECIAL
MUSIC
Music
is the hallmark of evangelical worship, as stated above regarding congregational
singing and choir music. At least once during the service, usually right before
the sermon, there will be special music. This may be a solo, duet, trio, quartet,
or small vocal ensemble.
In recent years, special singers have been able to sing to recorded sound tracks. Some Gospel record companies are producing these orchestrated accompaniment sound tracks so non professional singers can sing a song from an album right in the home church. Many churches are able to play these tapes to good advantage because they have gone beyond a simple PA system and have installed a sophisticated sound system.
THE
SERMON
Now we have come to the main course, the most important portion of a worship service.
The sermon, or "message" as it is often called, usually takes up about
half the length of the entire service. The pastor may begin with a scripture passage
followed by a brief prayer. Then he may announce his topic and the "text"
for the sermon. The text is really a verse or portion of a verse which contains
the central idea for the sermon.
Sermons fall into two broad categories. In the first category, the pastor will use the scripture lesson and text to support a topical discussion of a particular concept which will be developed in outline style. In the second category, the pastor will analyze a passage of scripture, verse by verse and, perhaps, word by word. A Biblical incident may be described within the context of the times and customs of the author or persons being written about. The original meaning of Greek or Hebrew words may be discussed in order to help you understand what the passage has to say for us today.
THE
ALTAR INVITATION
As the pastor nears the end of his sermon, he may begin setting the scene for
an altar invitation. The invitation provides an opportunity for persons to walk
to the front of the church and kneel at the altar. This is done because such persons
have recognized they have a need to accept Jesus and receive forgiveness for the
sin in their lives. In addition, the altar is always open to persons who are not
seeking any specific work of grace but who may have problems which they would
like to take to the altar in prayer.
The congregation usually stands during the altar invitation. The organ may play softly while the pastor invites persons to come forward to pray. The congregation may sing a song of invitation. Just As I Am may be the world's best known invitation song because it has been used by Billy Graham in his worldwide crusades for many years. Between verses of the song, the pastor often exhorts persons to mind God if He is calling them to come forward and pray.
When the pastor has determined that it is time to end the altar invitation, he may invite persons who did not go forward to the altar to raise their hands for prayer. The pastor will make a mental note of these persons and pray for them during the week.
SOCIALIZATION
AFTER SERVICE
Following the benediction or close of the altar service, you will not see a stampede
for the door. Although some people may leave right away, many will linger to exchange
pleasantries and carry on conversations. There will be much hand shaking and introductions
of visitors.
Your first visit to an evangelical church may not generate any opportunities for socialization which extend beyond the church premises. However, if you continue attending the same church for a few Sundays, you should start picking up invitations to participate in the informal social life of the church. Sunday night after church seems to be a favorite time for informal, impromptu fellowshipping. Two or more families may agree to meet at a family restaurant for a snack. A small group may go to someone's home for refreshments and table games. These affairs seem to work best with two or three families but larger groups may assemble, also. In a smaller group, you'll have a better chance to get to know people and to begin associating names and faces.
If you attend the same church for several weeks and no one offers an opportunity for socialization beyond the church building, it may be time to consider looking for a more friendly church.
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