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A bookstore with no books? Well, not
quite
Charismatic
churches,
contemporary attitude |
A number of Newberg place of worship embrace a more
modern approach to religion |
By Schellene Clendenin, Newberg
Graphic reporter
E-mail Schellene at sclendenin@eaglenewspapers.com
|
The style of dress is different; some dress casually while others are more
formal. The contrast in atmosphere includes folding chairs instead of pews. The music
types are diverse, from traditional hymns to contemporary music often like that heard on
the radio.
Although they worship the same God, each type of church sees fellowship in
different ways.
The obvious difference, said Heidi Thomason of GodSong Community Church,
would be the contemporary music, but differences do not end there. There is less structure
in more contemporary churches when it comes to a service order, as well. “Each week
is different. We have a lot of drama and dance incorporated, the atmosphere is more
casual. That doesn’t mean it’s better, just different.”
Thomason said the church does attract a lot of members ages 20 to 35, many
with families. She added that the church is working to add to its membership from
college-aged groups in the area.
“If you reach out to the poor and troubled and the lost God will grow it
in number and God will bless it financially and bring unspeakable joy, if we are doing
what he’s called us to do,” she said.
Courtney Rogers has visited GodSong Community Church and is currently a
member of 2nd Street Community Church.
“I like that it is seeker sensitive for people looking for a church home
and who are not comfortable with dressing up, sitting in a pew and listening to a
choir,” she said. “(Contemporary type churches) meet people where they are at
and it’s modern.”
Rogers said she feels sometimes people set religion apart, but community
churches apply more to their lifestyle.
“You don’t have to be perfect to join a church. That is how it
should be,” she said.
Rogers said she also enjoys the music at 2nd Street and GodSong because it
tends to be upbeat.
“Hymns for me are hard to relate to,” she said. “The more
contemporary songs sound like something I listen to on the radio. It kind of makes me want
to dance; that part I enjoy.”
Contemporary churches are more geared toward today, she said.
Rogers said she has attended a more traditional church and loves the people
there, “but 2nd Street is moving with society; it’s flexible and open-minded,
wanting to meet people where they are at right now in 2004.”
She said she enjoyed quiet worship that gave her a chance to connected with
God, and she misses that in her current church.
Robin Roth attends Joyful Servant Lutheran Church and enjoys the services
there.
“Partly because I was born and raised Lutheran and that is what I
know,” she said. “It’s comforting to know the service and know what it
means to me when we get to certain parts of the service.”
However, even in the Lutheran church the service she hears now is not the
traditional service she remembers from childhood.
“We are contemporary, to me, singing songs from the ’70s,”
Roth said. “We don’t follow the liturgy in the book; it’s brought out more
in song as in more traditional creed.”
Contemporary for Roth means reading creed that is not often read or singing
it in hymn form. She added that she is comforted by the structure of the services in her
church. “Usually we start the service the same way and end the same way,” she
said.
Although every service includes elements like communion, sermon, blessing and
hymns, they may not be done in the same order. Still, the people in the pews know
what’s going to happen.
“It’s worshipful,” she said. “I find it easier to connect
with the worship, to understand the meaning of what’s going on. I like that
structure.”
George Hemingway, interim vicar at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church,
doesn’t put much stock in contemporary and traditional labels.
“What do the words traditional and contemporary mean?” he said.
“They mean whatever the speaker and hearer think they mean.”
For example, at the last church where Hemingway worked people were singing
music they felt was too contemporary. But when he dissected it for them, they realized
that all the music the groups had been singing was taken out of scripture and set to
music.
“The words were very old, not contemporary,” he said.
Much of the differences lie in musical and worship styles and the cultural
nuances affecting both.
St. Michael’s is a mixed bag of cultures. Some of the music used by the
church is thousands of years old while some is two decades old.
“A lot of it comes down to music,” he said. “The liturgical
style here is classic with elements of 3,000-year-old Jewish rights.” |
|
From May 5, 2004,
Newberg Graphic
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