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| 2398: 22nd
Street Baptist, Tucson, Arizona, USA |
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Mystery
Worshipper: Fivesolas.
The church:
22nd Street
Baptist, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Denomination:
Southern
Baptist Convention.
The building:
The outside of the building is slump block, with a center section
that has a tall pitched roof. Inside is light wood paneling
and vaulted ceiling retrofitted with stage lights and screens.
Stained glass windows ring the sanctuary; the front and rear
are crosses surrounded by blue. Single-seat attached chairs
match the carpet, which looked brown in the dimly lit interior.
The church:
There were a significant number of people with various disabilities
attending the service – developmental, physical, etc. All
seemed very much embraced and integrated into the social life
of the body. I wondered if the church has a special outreach
for special needs, but I couldn't find anything about it on
their website. I did learn, however, that they have a student
ministry, an Awana group ("reaching children with the gospel
of Christ") and Bible study groups.
The neighborhood:
When the church was originally built, the property was outside
the city limits, but now it is on a major six-lane street and
surrounded by strip malls and fast food restaurants. There is
a high school in the next block, and lots of side streets with
single-family houses.
The cast:
The Revd Ashley Evans, senior pastor, was the teaching pastor.
Worship leader was the Revd Aaron Petre, pastor of worship and
youth.
The date & time:
June 3, 2012, 10.45am.
What was the name of the service?
Blended Worship Service.
How full was the building?
The sanctuary was at least three-quarters full.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
There were three official greeters standing in the doorway.
One of them said hello and handed me a bulletin.
Was your pew comfortable?
The individual padded chairs were quite comfy.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Before the service began, there was a moderate amount of greeting and friendly chatting, as people came into the sanctuary and found their seats.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Here we go!"
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
No books were used during the service, but there were paperback
Bibles available in the pew rack in the New Living translation.
What musical instruments were played?
There were three guitars played and one drum set. The drum set
and drummer were encased in a clear acrylic enclosure.
Did anything distract you?
I found the worship leader somewhat distracting. He was over-excited
and loud at some points, exuding almost a rock-star-like persona.
It felt incongruous with the age demographic of the congregation,
which was up to 50 per cent senior citizens.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
The worship music was upbeat and consisted of praise songs led
by the worship team. Although the songs were in the "pop" contemporary
style, none were current tunes. I would estimate they were popular
a decade or so ago.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
20 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
4 – The pastor's style was friendly and folksy. He used
many stories and sometimes humor to illustrate his points.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
The topic of the sermon was prudence, specifically from the
book of Proverbs. The pastor listed various actions and qualities
of a prudent person, each based on a verse in Proverbs. Two
examples of prudence given were not to believe everything you
hear, and to handle correction graciously. There was another
example also, which I'll mention in a moment.
Which part of the service
was like being in heaven?
Having grown up in a Baptist church, I was moved to hear the
closing hymn of invitation: "Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling."
One of the lines says, "Though we have sinned, he has mercy
and pardon, pardon for you and for me" – words I need to
hear and never tire of!
And which part was like
being in... er... the other place?
The pastor mentioned another example of prudence, namely the
preparations he had made for Y2K. I cringed.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I sat on a bench in the narthex. It was awkward, and I felt
invisible.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
Unfortunately, the coffee time was in between Sunday school
and the service, so I missed out. There was a spaghetti dinner
taking place after the service, though, and tickets were available
for a nominal fee.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
4 – The upbeat worship experience hadn't prepared me for
being ignored afterward.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Yes.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
I will remember the beautiful stained glass window at the front, because they are not commonly found in Baptist churches. |
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