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| 2429: Parkdale
Baptist, Belleville, Ontario, Canada |
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Mystery Worshipper: Arphaxad.
The church: Parkdale Baptist, Belleville, Ontario, Canada.
Denomination:
Fellowship
of Evangelical Baptist Churches.
The building:
From the outside, Parkdale Baptist looks like a well-maintained
1970s brick building, slightly on the funky side. Inside, it
has a labyrinthine horror of a floor plan. The sanctuary is
much wider than it is long, and the platform/stage area is also
very wide. The two blank walls on either side of the podium
area were thus very large. Never fear! The blankness was filled
by gigantic, symmetrical projections from the digital projectors.
The church:
According to the website, they run a variety of ministries to
different groups, from Bible study to summer camp, from toddlers
to youth to seniors, for women, for men. As evidenced by today's
service, they also run an active mission to the First Nations
community.
The neighbourhood:
The city of Belleville is located about 200km east of Toronto
on the scenic (but somewhat polluted) Bay of Quinte. Its economy
is largely based on light industry, small and medium business,
and transportation, with some agriculture mixed in. The population
is predominantly blue-collar and overwhelmingly hockey-crazed.
Although Parkdale Baptist is in a residential area, it is on
a super busy thoroughfare. Much of the congregation aren't actually
from the nearby residential area; rather, they drive in from
a one-hour radius.
The cast:
This morning's service was led by a mission team who had just
spent a week on an aboriginal reserve.
The date & time: August 12, 2012, 10.00am.
What was the name of the service?
Sunday Worship/Worshipping Together. This service was a celebration
of what God has done through his team from Parkdale who ministered
in Sagamok (a First Nations reserve) for a week.
How full was the building?
Mostly full. The parking lot was bulging. Probably a little
over 200 were in attendance. Pretty good for a summer Sunday
during Ribfest (an annual summer barbecue festival on the waterfront).
Demographically, it was what one would expect: about half seniors
and the rest a fair mix of all ages.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
Entering the church via the back door, as most others seemed
to be doing, we ran a short gauntlet of greeters at various
points. They were ready with smiles and handshakes and undoubtedly
would have given directions if we had gotten lost in the unusual
floorplan.
Was your pew comfortable?
We had lovely, comfortable, well-padded chairs. There was ample room between rows, so we didn't need to elbow our way to a seat.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
It was cheerful and somewhat chatty. At least half the congregation
were late.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Morning! I'm not Pastor John or Mark, as you may have
noticed." I would say not a powerful way to begin; let's
call it casual humility.
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
None. All songs were projected onto the screens. The songs were
all modern praise choruses or children's Bible songs.
What musical instruments
were played?
One piano, three acoustic guitars, and two vocalists. Apparently
this wasn't a typical service. I did see an electronic drumkit
prominently placed, and have heard rumours that at least one
person left the congregation on account of hearing loss. I'll
have to go back on a more typical Sunday – armed with earplugs
for my own personal health and safety.
Did anything distract
you?
A lady sitting a few seats away from us had her cup of Tim Horton's coffee (it's a Canadian thing), and the smell was causing me to covet.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip,
happy clappy, or what?
On the clappy-happy side for sure. The first few songs were
children's songs like what would have been shared with kids
on the mission field – with actions and all! The majority
of the congregation participated with glee.
Exactly how long was the
sermon?
21 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
7 – The message was delivered by a high school teacher
who frequently leads devotions with teenagers. His sense of
humour was a bit stilted, but funny nonetheless. The worst joke,
however, was a reference to baseball: "In the big inning."
In a nutshell, what was
the sermon about?
The theme for the Sagamok mission team was "promises"
– a hard-sell considering aboriginal history in Canada.
They are accustomed to broken promises, and have sometimes a
complete lack of trust in white people, especially authority
figures. The sermon talked about God's promises, from the big
ones (Abraham's offspring, the coming Messiah), to the smaller
daily promises (sustaining us, giving us strength, providing
a way out of temptation).
Which part of the service
was like being in heaven?
I appreciated one particular part of the preacher's prayer (in the Sagamok reserve): "May you move in your way and your time, and may we be a part of that." Most evangelical churches in North America tend to make demands of the Holy Spirit, like selfish children wanting instant gratification. This revealed the spirit of "less of me, more of you" that is so absent in our culture.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
During the first few worship songs, there were three people
dressed as animals (a penguin and two crocodiles, if you must
know) on stage with the worship team. Apparently they had something
to do with the mission team to the Sagamok reserve. Cute but
weird.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
Most people exited fairly quickly and didn't seem inclined to
talk. The website for the church mentions a coffee/fellowship/Sunday
school time after church, but either it was not on during the
summer or people were just eager to get to Ribfest. In any case,
the fellowship hall was harder to find than the washrooms.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
None available. We will have to go back on a typical Sunday and try again.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
5 – Again, we will have to see what a normal worship service is like.
Did the service make you
feel glad to be a Christian?
In parts. That a congregation are so dedicated to outreach to
the aboriginal community is really inspirational. Songs with
actions – not so much.
What one thing will you
remember about all this in seven days' time?
Sadly, probably the costumes on stage! I hope to cling to the
one item of prayer: "In your time, and in your way, Lord!" |
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