May 3, 2009 10:30 am
Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, 525 Wardlaw Ave. Winnipeg
Rev. Barb Janes, Rev. Irene Greenwood
I realize it seems like I'm going backwards in time. Truth is, I misplaced the order of service for this one and completely forgot to blog it. So excuse me if my details are sketchy, but it's been four months.
Anyhow, once again I felt the need for something familiar, and so I headed off to Crescent Fort Rouge. I've attended concerts in the building before, but never a service. It's a pretty classical stone church design, picture Westminster United but smaller, hidden away at the end of Wellington Crescent.
I was a bit surprised to see that the congregation, about 100 present or so, was actually fairly varied in terms of age. Naturally the grey-haired folk were out in force, but there were also some very young families and a handful of teens.
If I detailed the service I would feel very much like I was repeating myself; it followed closely the United Church format that I'm oh-so-familiar with. The service was highlighted with lots of music, and being the first Sunday of the month there was communion. I must admit I really don't remember what the sermon was about. I do remember being impressed, as it was a treatise on the works of God in the world today.
Crescent Fort Rouge United was a nice, safe (for me) experience.
http://www.crescentfortrouge.ca/
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Springs Church
May 17, 2009 11:30 am
Springs Church, 595 Lagimodiere Blvd. Winnipeg
Pastor Leon Fontaine
Can you say pop-Christianity? Yeah, so can I, and I'll admit that was on my mind as I headed into this one, probably one of the biggest churches in Winnipeg. You know a church is massive when it's got more parking attendants than some churches have congregants. You could land a 747 in the Springs Church parking lot. The building is huge with a massive sanctuary in the center, circled by a hallway that has classrooms for the Springs school, Sunday school rooms, lounges, a huge gift shop and a Starbucks knock-off. By this point the place is screaming at me: business! business! I was greeted by a couple of ushers as I pushed through a throng of people into the sanctuary.
I'm not even going to hazard a guess at how many people were in there. Upwards of a thousand. It was huge. The age demographic was extremely varied, though dominant were the twenty-somethings, believe it or not. I sure didn't. The sanctuary was a huge space with chairs set out in a semi-circle around the stage, which boasted not one but four jumbotron-style screens. Christian hard-rock was playing through the speakers.
The service was kicked off with four songs from the resident rock band, and they were pretty solid. Bass, guitar, drums, keyboards, four vocalists and a backing "choir" were all onstage unleashing hits from the Christian rock world, all highlighted by a light show. A light show.
Pastor Leo Fontaine took the stage and said a prayer in his booming voice with a hint of a southern accent, which had me all ready for some ridiculous, speaking-in-tongues sermon. My expectations weren't high.
And then he blew me away with one of the best sermons I've heard all year. It was thought provoking, relevant, and had just the right amount of "shit-disturbing" to satisfy my young adult brain. You know something's going down when the first words out of the pastor's mouth are "I don't like religion." The sermon was all about the difference between the Christian faith and Christian religion, the latter being the often-abused organization of the "Christian church" around Jesus' teachings, the former being living through Jesus' teachings themselves and not some forced religious doctrine.
Pastor Fontaine spoke about how Jesus didn't come to start a new religion, he came to challenge all religions. He talked about how we "jump through hoops" and try to do exactly the right things to please God because our religion tells us to, when through Jesus we are offered a "free gift" of salvation and really, we don't have to do anything but live through His teachings. He produced an interesting metaphor in the idea of a father and his children: why would children fall over themselves to please the father, bring him a drink after work and bring him the paper and hang up his clothes and on and on, if they are loved by default? Why should they feel they need to do all kinds of stuff to gain their father's approval when they have it already, simply on the merit of being his children? Pastor Fontaine also touched on something that interested me, and that was the formulization of the modern-day church service, how people get so set in their traditions and their organization that the message is lost.
I'll stop now. But on their website under "Media Player" you can access a video of the sermon, and I'd suggest you take a look. I'm trying very hard to think objectively about what he said, because the presentation was extremely powerful, to the point where I wonder if I was really blown away by the message or just brainwashed by the charismatic man. But in any event I've been given food for thought.
Though the sermon and the music were great, I'm not sure how I would feel belonging to a church with probably a couple thousand members. For me church needs to be about community. Of course with a larger community there's more opportunity for interaction, but is some intimacy not lost with such a massive congregation? There's no way that Pastor Fontaine knows the names of all his members, and how could he possibly make time for everyone? There's a level of implied buerocracy and commercialization to this church that makes me wonder, and obviously heavily influenced my first impressions.
Boy has this one got me confused, and thinking. About time.
http://www.springschurch.com/
Springs Church, 595 Lagimodiere Blvd. Winnipeg
Pastor Leon Fontaine
Can you say pop-Christianity? Yeah, so can I, and I'll admit that was on my mind as I headed into this one, probably one of the biggest churches in Winnipeg. You know a church is massive when it's got more parking attendants than some churches have congregants. You could land a 747 in the Springs Church parking lot. The building is huge with a massive sanctuary in the center, circled by a hallway that has classrooms for the Springs school, Sunday school rooms, lounges, a huge gift shop and a Starbucks knock-off. By this point the place is screaming at me: business! business! I was greeted by a couple of ushers as I pushed through a throng of people into the sanctuary.
I'm not even going to hazard a guess at how many people were in there. Upwards of a thousand. It was huge. The age demographic was extremely varied, though dominant were the twenty-somethings, believe it or not. I sure didn't. The sanctuary was a huge space with chairs set out in a semi-circle around the stage, which boasted not one but four jumbotron-style screens. Christian hard-rock was playing through the speakers.
The service was kicked off with four songs from the resident rock band, and they were pretty solid. Bass, guitar, drums, keyboards, four vocalists and a backing "choir" were all onstage unleashing hits from the Christian rock world, all highlighted by a light show. A light show.
Pastor Leo Fontaine took the stage and said a prayer in his booming voice with a hint of a southern accent, which had me all ready for some ridiculous, speaking-in-tongues sermon. My expectations weren't high.
And then he blew me away with one of the best sermons I've heard all year. It was thought provoking, relevant, and had just the right amount of "shit-disturbing" to satisfy my young adult brain. You know something's going down when the first words out of the pastor's mouth are "I don't like religion." The sermon was all about the difference between the Christian faith and Christian religion, the latter being the often-abused organization of the "Christian church" around Jesus' teachings, the former being living through Jesus' teachings themselves and not some forced religious doctrine.
Pastor Fontaine spoke about how Jesus didn't come to start a new religion, he came to challenge all religions. He talked about how we "jump through hoops" and try to do exactly the right things to please God because our religion tells us to, when through Jesus we are offered a "free gift" of salvation and really, we don't have to do anything but live through His teachings. He produced an interesting metaphor in the idea of a father and his children: why would children fall over themselves to please the father, bring him a drink after work and bring him the paper and hang up his clothes and on and on, if they are loved by default? Why should they feel they need to do all kinds of stuff to gain their father's approval when they have it already, simply on the merit of being his children? Pastor Fontaine also touched on something that interested me, and that was the formulization of the modern-day church service, how people get so set in their traditions and their organization that the message is lost.
I'll stop now. But on their website under "Media Player" you can access a video of the sermon, and I'd suggest you take a look. I'm trying very hard to think objectively about what he said, because the presentation was extremely powerful, to the point where I wonder if I was really blown away by the message or just brainwashed by the charismatic man. But in any event I've been given food for thought.
Though the sermon and the music were great, I'm not sure how I would feel belonging to a church with probably a couple thousand members. For me church needs to be about community. Of course with a larger community there's more opportunity for interaction, but is some intimacy not lost with such a massive congregation? There's no way that Pastor Fontaine knows the names of all his members, and how could he possibly make time for everyone? There's a level of implied buerocracy and commercialization to this church that makes me wonder, and obviously heavily influenced my first impressions.
Boy has this one got me confused, and thinking. About time.
http://www.springschurch.com/
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
St. James Presbyterian
April 26, 2009 11:00 am
St. James Presbyterian Church, 1476 Portage Ave. Winnipeg
Rev. Allan Farris
So I remembered to check which side of Portage this church was on, unlike last time. I was greeted warmly by several people walking in and though at a quarter-to the tiny sanctuary was almost empty, around 100 people had arrived by go time. For such a small congregation the youth were fairly well-represented, with lots of families in attendance as well.
The service followed a pretty normal format, opened with prayers, announcements and hymns. I noticed how full the pew shelves were: a hymnal, a bible and two psalm books were in every compartment and all were used during the service.
Reverend Farris was probably one of the youngest ministers I've encountered so far. His mannerisms seemed a bit awkward at the beginning and for a while I couldn't put a finger on what was different about him... eventually it hit me. He was smiling the whole time; genuinely enthusiastic and excited about what he was talking about. Making eye contact too. And his sermon was pretty neat; he used a hilarious story about his nephew's interpretation of Jesus as a popculture zombie to illustrate how we categorize things we don't understand. He went on to argue that Jesus and the resurrection defies categorization, and therefore as a people Christians should (and sometimes do) defy categorization as well. I think he got a bit hung up on this idea and had trouble drawing a conclusion, but it was an engaging and generally relevant sermon.
Offertory, a few more hymns, a neat children's "sermon" about the idea of children of God versus 'regular' children and the service was capped off. I would say I definitely got a positive experience out of this one.
http://www.stjamespresbyterianwinnipeg.com/
St. James Presbyterian Church, 1476 Portage Ave. Winnipeg
Rev. Allan Farris
So I remembered to check which side of Portage this church was on, unlike last time. I was greeted warmly by several people walking in and though at a quarter-to the tiny sanctuary was almost empty, around 100 people had arrived by go time. For such a small congregation the youth were fairly well-represented, with lots of families in attendance as well.
The service followed a pretty normal format, opened with prayers, announcements and hymns. I noticed how full the pew shelves were: a hymnal, a bible and two psalm books were in every compartment and all were used during the service.
Reverend Farris was probably one of the youngest ministers I've encountered so far. His mannerisms seemed a bit awkward at the beginning and for a while I couldn't put a finger on what was different about him... eventually it hit me. He was smiling the whole time; genuinely enthusiastic and excited about what he was talking about. Making eye contact too. And his sermon was pretty neat; he used a hilarious story about his nephew's interpretation of Jesus as a popculture zombie to illustrate how we categorize things we don't understand. He went on to argue that Jesus and the resurrection defies categorization, and therefore as a people Christians should (and sometimes do) defy categorization as well. I think he got a bit hung up on this idea and had trouble drawing a conclusion, but it was an engaging and generally relevant sermon.
Offertory, a few more hymns, a neat children's "sermon" about the idea of children of God versus 'regular' children and the service was capped off. I would say I definitely got a positive experience out of this one.
http://www.stjamespresbyterianwinnipeg.com/
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Bethel Mennonite Church, Take Two
April 12, 2009 10:45 am
Bethel Mennonite Church, 465 Stafford Ave. Winnipeg
Lisa Enn-Bogoya
As on Christmas, the family decided that Bethel would be a good choice for Easter. I must say I enjoyed my first visit and so I was happy to go back for the Easter service. The big, open church was again filled to capacity as the large (and really excellent) choir sang a processional.
The service was similar in content to the Christmas service, with scripture readings interspersed with prayers, offerings from the choir and lots and lots of hymns, always certain to make me happy. The children's story was a bare-bones version of the connection between the CS Lewis classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the Easter story.
Lisa Enns-Bogoya was a really great speaker. She talked about her family's recent trip to Disneyland and contrasted the exhibitionist, so-called "Mickey Mouse theology" with the story of the ressurection. She talked well and got her message across, and I definitely enjoyed her sermon.
The service ended with an open invitation for congregation members to join the choir in singing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. It was an extremely powerful and uplifting way to end a really great service.
http://www.bethelmennonite.ca/
Bethel Mennonite Church, 465 Stafford Ave. Winnipeg
Lisa Enn-Bogoya
As on Christmas, the family decided that Bethel would be a good choice for Easter. I must say I enjoyed my first visit and so I was happy to go back for the Easter service. The big, open church was again filled to capacity as the large (and really excellent) choir sang a processional.
The service was similar in content to the Christmas service, with scripture readings interspersed with prayers, offerings from the choir and lots and lots of hymns, always certain to make me happy. The children's story was a bare-bones version of the connection between the CS Lewis classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the Easter story.
Lisa Enns-Bogoya was a really great speaker. She talked about her family's recent trip to Disneyland and contrasted the exhibitionist, so-called "Mickey Mouse theology" with the story of the ressurection. She talked well and got her message across, and I definitely enjoyed her sermon.
The service ended with an open invitation for congregation members to join the choir in singing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. It was an extremely powerful and uplifting way to end a really great service.
http://www.bethelmennonite.ca/
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
April 10, 2009 3:00 pm.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Parish, 4588 Roblin Blvd. Winnipeg
Pastor Barry Schoonbaert
I have to apologize for this entry a little. I didn't remember that there was no order of service handed out for this one, so details may be sketchy. I decided to go to a second service on Good Friday, this one at the Catholic OLPH, another church that I've been driving past for years. I was also interested in the Catholic take on the Good Friday service.
The place was packed. I'll never guess the right number, but there were probably 5 or 600 people there. It was as close to standing room only as churches get these days. Ushers were helping people find their spots but there was absolute silence; not a person was speaking. Inside the church itself was tastefully decorated, with a very low ceiling.
The service began with a processional up to the front, followed by some lengthy preemptive scripture passages alternating with solos done very well by soloists and a vocal quartet. Pastor Schoonbaert led a prayer and then the Passion was recited responsively, readers alternating with the congregation.
After the Passion and the prayers, also done responsively but in song, was an event I've never personally witnessed before. Dubbed the "Veneration of the Cross," it involves a large crucifix supported by the Pastor brought up to the front, after which the entire congregation lines up to pay respect to it whether by bowing, kneeling or in many cases kissing the depiction of Jesus' crucified body. I won't go into my issues with the "Veneration of the Cross" here, suffice it to say I didn't take part.
The Veneration took an extremely long time. Afterwards a solid communion was shared and after a blessing the service ended. There had been signs posted beforehand asking the congregation to exit in silence, and so they did. I found the service an extremely interesting experience, very reverent and in the somber mood of the day. I'd be interested to see what the turnout is at a regular OLPH service.
http://www.olphwinnipeg.ca/
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Parish, 4588 Roblin Blvd. Winnipeg
Pastor Barry Schoonbaert
I have to apologize for this entry a little. I didn't remember that there was no order of service handed out for this one, so details may be sketchy. I decided to go to a second service on Good Friday, this one at the Catholic OLPH, another church that I've been driving past for years. I was also interested in the Catholic take on the Good Friday service.
The place was packed. I'll never guess the right number, but there were probably 5 or 600 people there. It was as close to standing room only as churches get these days. Ushers were helping people find their spots but there was absolute silence; not a person was speaking. Inside the church itself was tastefully decorated, with a very low ceiling.
The service began with a processional up to the front, followed by some lengthy preemptive scripture passages alternating with solos done very well by soloists and a vocal quartet. Pastor Schoonbaert led a prayer and then the Passion was recited responsively, readers alternating with the congregation.
After the Passion and the prayers, also done responsively but in song, was an event I've never personally witnessed before. Dubbed the "Veneration of the Cross," it involves a large crucifix supported by the Pastor brought up to the front, after which the entire congregation lines up to pay respect to it whether by bowing, kneeling or in many cases kissing the depiction of Jesus' crucified body. I won't go into my issues with the "Veneration of the Cross" here, suffice it to say I didn't take part.
The Veneration took an extremely long time. Afterwards a solid communion was shared and after a blessing the service ended. There had been signs posted beforehand asking the congregation to exit in silence, and so they did. I found the service an extremely interesting experience, very reverent and in the somber mood of the day. I'd be interested to see what the turnout is at a regular OLPH service.
http://www.olphwinnipeg.ca/
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Charleswood United Church
April 10, 2009 11:00 am
Charleswood United Church, 4820 Roblin Blvd. Winnipeg
Rev. Michael Wilson, Rev. Joanne Kury
So I'm a bit behind on the posting, and cause of exams these next few will be a bit haphazard. But I'm still going in order. I decided to take in two services on Good Friday, one am, one pm. This was my first one of the day.
Even though my background is in the United Church, I can't remember ever going to the actual Good Friday service. Probably too busy enjoying the day off school, I guess. Charleswood United recently had a slew of renovations done, so the church building is looking really good. They've got a nice big room for alternative worship and the sanctuary itself is decked out nicely too. When I walked in there were black coverings on the windows, creating an appropriately somber mood.
There were a few prayers and hymns before the Passion was played out, alternating scripture readings, sung responses and solos by members of the large choir, which were done very well. Some churches I've been to didn't have a congregation the size of Charleswood's choir and altogether I'd say there were about 2-300 people in the sanctuary.
Rev. Wilson was called upon to do the sermon. He was an extremely good speaker, talking about the story of the crucifixion as going beyond the traditional "good versus evil" scenario. He tried really hard to pull in pop culture references from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings and though I'm sure they would appeal to some, the connections were a bit weak for me to find them effective. Altogether though it was a nicely done sermon.
The service ended with a few more hymns, the prayer and a final blessing before the congregation filed out. It was a very nice, peaceful, traditional service, though as I often do I found myself wishing for some deviation from the standard worship format. I'd be happy to go back and see what regular worship is like at Charleswood; from my observations it really seems to be a vibrant community.
http://www.charleswoodunited.org/
Charleswood United Church, 4820 Roblin Blvd. Winnipeg
Rev. Michael Wilson, Rev. Joanne Kury
So I'm a bit behind on the posting, and cause of exams these next few will be a bit haphazard. But I'm still going in order. I decided to take in two services on Good Friday, one am, one pm. This was my first one of the day.
Even though my background is in the United Church, I can't remember ever going to the actual Good Friday service. Probably too busy enjoying the day off school, I guess. Charleswood United recently had a slew of renovations done, so the church building is looking really good. They've got a nice big room for alternative worship and the sanctuary itself is decked out nicely too. When I walked in there were black coverings on the windows, creating an appropriately somber mood.
There were a few prayers and hymns before the Passion was played out, alternating scripture readings, sung responses and solos by members of the large choir, which were done very well. Some churches I've been to didn't have a congregation the size of Charleswood's choir and altogether I'd say there were about 2-300 people in the sanctuary.
Rev. Wilson was called upon to do the sermon. He was an extremely good speaker, talking about the story of the crucifixion as going beyond the traditional "good versus evil" scenario. He tried really hard to pull in pop culture references from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings and though I'm sure they would appeal to some, the connections were a bit weak for me to find them effective. Altogether though it was a nicely done sermon.
The service ended with a few more hymns, the prayer and a final blessing before the congregation filed out. It was a very nice, peaceful, traditional service, though as I often do I found myself wishing for some deviation from the standard worship format. I'd be happy to go back and see what regular worship is like at Charleswood; from my observations it really seems to be a vibrant community.
http://www.charleswoodunited.org/
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Maranatha Evangelical Free Church
March 29, 2009 11:00 am
Maranatha Evangelical Free Church, 910 Sturgeon Rd. Winnipeg
Pastor Dave Friesen
This church was a perfect example of how first impressions aren't always indicative of what's in store. Maranatha is a small church, honestly looking a bit run-down from the outside. As I was walking in I had to pass through a gauntlet of older people huddled around the front doors smoking their lungs out. Naturally I was a tad apprehensive walking into the place.
I was greeted immediately by a greeter who had me fill out a visitor contact card. On the way to my seat I met the pastor and was invited for coffee. The sanctuary is a smaller room with rows of stacking chairs set out. A band was onstage getting set up and I was curious to see what this place was all about.
The service began with four numbers by the band. The band was obviously pieced together from volunteers in the church, and they performed well. The songs were mostly modified hymns and the words were shown on a big screen at the front. Through all these services I've been to I've decided that I really enjoy a live band, but there's just no good way to sing along. For singing along I'll take good old hymns any day.
Anyhow. There were announcements (including birthdays), prayers and an offertory. Apparently Maranatha is also actively looking to bolster it's congregational ranks, about 100 strong this morning, as Pastor Friesen mentioned in the announcements. The band played another song and then the sermon began.
I was intrigued by Pastor Friesen's sermon and though I found it a little ambiguous, it was an interesting meditation on Ephesians 6:10-18. The passage deals with a call to put on the "whole armor of God," and to "fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness." Pastor Friesen brought this passage into a modern context, using it as a call both to evangelism and to combatting Satan. I wasn't quite sure where some of his Satan-related arguments were coming from, though the concept of the Devil is an area where I'm personally a little foggy to begin with. Overall it was an empowering and inspiring sermon. Pastor Friesen is a really likeable, friendly and accesible speaker.
The service ended with a closing song. On my way out I must've been stopped by at least five people introducing themselves and wanting to chat. I was particularly excited that one of them was a youth: I've been at this since September and this was the first time that I was approached by a youth from the congregation I'm visiting. Very cool indeed. Seems like my first impressions were bunk, because this was one of the friendliest churches I've visited.
http://www.mefree.ca/
Maranatha Evangelical Free Church, 910 Sturgeon Rd. Winnipeg
Pastor Dave Friesen
This church was a perfect example of how first impressions aren't always indicative of what's in store. Maranatha is a small church, honestly looking a bit run-down from the outside. As I was walking in I had to pass through a gauntlet of older people huddled around the front doors smoking their lungs out. Naturally I was a tad apprehensive walking into the place.
I was greeted immediately by a greeter who had me fill out a visitor contact card. On the way to my seat I met the pastor and was invited for coffee. The sanctuary is a smaller room with rows of stacking chairs set out. A band was onstage getting set up and I was curious to see what this place was all about.
The service began with four numbers by the band. The band was obviously pieced together from volunteers in the church, and they performed well. The songs were mostly modified hymns and the words were shown on a big screen at the front. Through all these services I've been to I've decided that I really enjoy a live band, but there's just no good way to sing along. For singing along I'll take good old hymns any day.
Anyhow. There were announcements (including birthdays), prayers and an offertory. Apparently Maranatha is also actively looking to bolster it's congregational ranks, about 100 strong this morning, as Pastor Friesen mentioned in the announcements. The band played another song and then the sermon began.
I was intrigued by Pastor Friesen's sermon and though I found it a little ambiguous, it was an interesting meditation on Ephesians 6:10-18. The passage deals with a call to put on the "whole armor of God," and to "fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness." Pastor Friesen brought this passage into a modern context, using it as a call both to evangelism and to combatting Satan. I wasn't quite sure where some of his Satan-related arguments were coming from, though the concept of the Devil is an area where I'm personally a little foggy to begin with. Overall it was an empowering and inspiring sermon. Pastor Friesen is a really likeable, friendly and accesible speaker.
The service ended with a closing song. On my way out I must've been stopped by at least five people introducing themselves and wanting to chat. I was particularly excited that one of them was a youth: I've been at this since September and this was the first time that I was approached by a youth from the congregation I'm visiting. Very cool indeed. Seems like my first impressions were bunk, because this was one of the friendliest churches I've visited.
http://www.mefree.ca/
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Gloria Dei Lutheran
March 22, 2009 11:00 am
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 637 Buckingham Rd. Winnipeg
Pastor Lanny Knutson
Another pick out of the hat turned out to be a really nice service. Nestled in the heart of Charleswood, Gloria Dei is an older-looking building from the outside that turns out to look a bit like a high school gymnasium on the inside. It was the first church I can remember being wider than it is long.
I was welcomed warmly as I took my place among the 100-some congregation members. There were a lot of middle-aged and elderly people around, though the youth and kids were ably represented as well.
After a few announcements the service began. It followed standard format, opening prayer, opening song, reading etc. There was a lot of music in this service, which I loved, sung in parts, which I loved too. There was a lot of page-turning, as one book had all the readings and hymns in it. No wonder it had the fancy ribbon placemarkers. One of the scripture readers identified himself as a guest reader from a nearby United church, which I thought was pretty neat.
Probably my singular complaint about the service would be that the sound system sucked the big one. Not to mention the acoustics, like the decor, were like a concrete gymnasium. A workable problem, but as Pastor Knutson took the podium it became evident that this would be a hard sermon to follow. He had a habit of talking really fast, though at his age (and assumed level of experience) it seemed strange that this would be out of nerves.
The sermon revolved around a parallel idea to that of Rev. Cam Hamoline at the Center for Conscious Living a couple of weeks ago, this time in that we often go to great lengths to hide the things that we may be embarrassed or ashamed of when we should accept everything we are as people and put everything out on the table before God. At some point he started quoting John 3:16 and I got a bit confused, but Pastor Knutson ended strong with a call to understand ourselves so that we can better serve others.
After the requisite prayers and communion (accompanied by no less than four hymns) the service ended. Despite the crappy sound I found it to be a very warm, comforting service and I left feeling refreshed. I shook six hands on my way out, as all those who'd served up onstage lined up to chat. Neat.
http://www.mnosynod.org/gloriadei.html
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 637 Buckingham Rd. Winnipeg
Pastor Lanny Knutson
Another pick out of the hat turned out to be a really nice service. Nestled in the heart of Charleswood, Gloria Dei is an older-looking building from the outside that turns out to look a bit like a high school gymnasium on the inside. It was the first church I can remember being wider than it is long.
I was welcomed warmly as I took my place among the 100-some congregation members. There were a lot of middle-aged and elderly people around, though the youth and kids were ably represented as well.
After a few announcements the service began. It followed standard format, opening prayer, opening song, reading etc. There was a lot of music in this service, which I loved, sung in parts, which I loved too. There was a lot of page-turning, as one book had all the readings and hymns in it. No wonder it had the fancy ribbon placemarkers. One of the scripture readers identified himself as a guest reader from a nearby United church, which I thought was pretty neat.
Probably my singular complaint about the service would be that the sound system sucked the big one. Not to mention the acoustics, like the decor, were like a concrete gymnasium. A workable problem, but as Pastor Knutson took the podium it became evident that this would be a hard sermon to follow. He had a habit of talking really fast, though at his age (and assumed level of experience) it seemed strange that this would be out of nerves.
The sermon revolved around a parallel idea to that of Rev. Cam Hamoline at the Center for Conscious Living a couple of weeks ago, this time in that we often go to great lengths to hide the things that we may be embarrassed or ashamed of when we should accept everything we are as people and put everything out on the table before God. At some point he started quoting John 3:16 and I got a bit confused, but Pastor Knutson ended strong with a call to understand ourselves so that we can better serve others.
After the requisite prayers and communion (accompanied by no less than four hymns) the service ended. Despite the crappy sound I found it to be a very warm, comforting service and I left feeling refreshed. I shook six hands on my way out, as all those who'd served up onstage lined up to chat. Neat.
http://www.mnosynod.org/gloriadei.html
Monday, March 16, 2009
Portage Avenue Church
March 15, 2009 10:00 am
Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church, 1420 Portage Ave. Winnipeg
Travis Reimer
And now, from the other side of Portage...
Whenever my high school went on its ski trip, the Beaver buses would meet us in the parking lot of Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church. I decided after six years of invading their parking space, I should finally attend one of their services.
The building is really nice, quite modern yet tasteful. As I walked in I was greeted almost immediately and from the front doors to the coat rack I was wished a "good morning" at least a half dozen times. As I sat down the woman to my left, the man to my right and the woman sitting in front of me all welcomed me to the church. Simple things to do, but immediately I had a warm, comfortable vibe.
The music for the service was offered by a male chorus of about fifteen men who all sang quite well. To my delight most of the congregational hymns were sung in four-part harmony, as opposed to the usual droning melody, all led by the choir. Like the rest of the congregation of about 150 people, they were just about all in the "snow on the rooftop" age demographic. There were a few families scattered here and there, but you know a congregation is aging when the minister in his opening announcements encourages the people to be "adventurous" and sit somewhere new for a change.
Travis Reimer was a delightful speaker and though he seemed like the type to shy from technology, he used the large screen at the front to emphasize his points. His sermon was a bit confusing at first, mainly because I didn't really understand where his argument was coming from or where it was going. He divided churches into two groups, one serving as a "commisary," the other as a "caravan." The idea of the commisary church was applied (through implication, never directly) to the Catholic church, and was defined as an establishment-oriented system of thinking, more of an institution. On the other hand, he argued that his church as a "caravan" is a community, eschatologically oriented and with a focus on leaning on one another for a common goal. These were all interesting ideas, but by the end I was still confused as to where they were coming from.
There were also some references throughout the service to attracting new members: apparently Portage Avenue Church is aware that its age demographic isn't exactly sustainable, and are working hard to draw people. I must say with a delightful service like this I can't imagine it will be very hard to do.
http://www.pachurch.ca/
Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church, 1420 Portage Ave. Winnipeg
Travis Reimer
And now, from the other side of Portage...
Whenever my high school went on its ski trip, the Beaver buses would meet us in the parking lot of Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church. I decided after six years of invading their parking space, I should finally attend one of their services.
The building is really nice, quite modern yet tasteful. As I walked in I was greeted almost immediately and from the front doors to the coat rack I was wished a "good morning" at least a half dozen times. As I sat down the woman to my left, the man to my right and the woman sitting in front of me all welcomed me to the church. Simple things to do, but immediately I had a warm, comfortable vibe.
The music for the service was offered by a male chorus of about fifteen men who all sang quite well. To my delight most of the congregational hymns were sung in four-part harmony, as opposed to the usual droning melody, all led by the choir. Like the rest of the congregation of about 150 people, they were just about all in the "snow on the rooftop" age demographic. There were a few families scattered here and there, but you know a congregation is aging when the minister in his opening announcements encourages the people to be "adventurous" and sit somewhere new for a change.
Travis Reimer was a delightful speaker and though he seemed like the type to shy from technology, he used the large screen at the front to emphasize his points. His sermon was a bit confusing at first, mainly because I didn't really understand where his argument was coming from or where it was going. He divided churches into two groups, one serving as a "commisary," the other as a "caravan." The idea of the commisary church was applied (through implication, never directly) to the Catholic church, and was defined as an establishment-oriented system of thinking, more of an institution. On the other hand, he argued that his church as a "caravan" is a community, eschatologically oriented and with a focus on leaning on one another for a common goal. These were all interesting ideas, but by the end I was still confused as to where they were coming from.
There were also some references throughout the service to attracting new members: apparently Portage Avenue Church is aware that its age demographic isn't exactly sustainable, and are working hard to draw people. I must say with a delightful service like this I can't imagine it will be very hard to do.
http://www.pachurch.ca/
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Centre for Conscious Living
March 1, 2009 11:00 am
Centre for Conscious Living, 612 Valour Road Winnipeg
Rev. Cam J. Hamoline
This is a pretty interesting one. I was looking for a Presbyterian church just off Portage and got turned around navigating side streets. When I saw a traditional-looking church building I parked and went inside without a second thought. Upon sitting down and looking at the bulletin, I realized that I wasn't in a Presbyterian church.
Billed as an "Inclusive Spiritual Centre," I wasn't sure what to expect as this service got underway. It was in a small traditional old building with stained glass windows depicting New Testament scenes. Middle-aged was the dominant demographic with a few older folks and a healthy proportion of young kids. I was the only youth I could see. The small sanctuary was pretty full, probably about 100 people.
The front of the church was set up for a band and indeed, the service started with music. And I've gotta comment on it. This was unlike any church band I've ever heard. They avoided stereotyped, overdone and overly "uplifting" songs in favour of songs with music and a general themed message. The musicians were fantastic (there was a bass solo and I nearly cheered) and the music was great.
Onwards. I wasn't sure (and still am not) exactly what the Centre for Conscious Living is all about. The opening "Affirmative Prayer Treatment" recognized that there existed a higher being called "God," though She was never mentioned again through the service. Their website is an interesting read, they recognize Jesus in some capacity but as an example of the spiritual beings we all are, rather than the exception. They consider the notion of "Bible" to include ALL religious texts, which is an intriguing (and I think fantastic) notion.
Rev. Hamoline seems like a boring speaker, a bit monotonous and prone to over-simplifying. But he ended up getting his message across very well. He spoke primarily about the value of emotion. He noted that all emotion is positive, anger and sorrow included, because it brings us a message about ourselves. He encouraged introspection with an interesting analogy, which I'm going to paraphrase quickly:
"Once a woman was looking out her window and saw her neighbour outside in the street, bent over and searching intently for something. The woman went outside and asked, "what are you looking for?" Her neighbour replied, "I've lost my ring." The woman asked, "where did you lose it?" Her neighbour replied, "I lost it in the house, but I'm looking out here because the light is much better."
Often when we look inwards we find ourselves grasping around in the dark and choose instead to look uselessly outward, because the "light is better." Food for thought.
The service ended with more music and as usual I had to run so I didn't really get the chance to socialize. I'm very interested to see what this church or centre is all about, and i hope to return.
http://www.livingconsciously.ca/
Centre for Conscious Living, 612 Valour Road Winnipeg
Rev. Cam J. Hamoline
This is a pretty interesting one. I was looking for a Presbyterian church just off Portage and got turned around navigating side streets. When I saw a traditional-looking church building I parked and went inside without a second thought. Upon sitting down and looking at the bulletin, I realized that I wasn't in a Presbyterian church.
Billed as an "Inclusive Spiritual Centre," I wasn't sure what to expect as this service got underway. It was in a small traditional old building with stained glass windows depicting New Testament scenes. Middle-aged was the dominant demographic with a few older folks and a healthy proportion of young kids. I was the only youth I could see. The small sanctuary was pretty full, probably about 100 people.
The front of the church was set up for a band and indeed, the service started with music. And I've gotta comment on it. This was unlike any church band I've ever heard. They avoided stereotyped, overdone and overly "uplifting" songs in favour of songs with music and a general themed message. The musicians were fantastic (there was a bass solo and I nearly cheered) and the music was great.
Onwards. I wasn't sure (and still am not) exactly what the Centre for Conscious Living is all about. The opening "Affirmative Prayer Treatment" recognized that there existed a higher being called "God," though She was never mentioned again through the service. Their website is an interesting read, they recognize Jesus in some capacity but as an example of the spiritual beings we all are, rather than the exception. They consider the notion of "Bible" to include ALL religious texts, which is an intriguing (and I think fantastic) notion.
Rev. Hamoline seems like a boring speaker, a bit monotonous and prone to over-simplifying. But he ended up getting his message across very well. He spoke primarily about the value of emotion. He noted that all emotion is positive, anger and sorrow included, because it brings us a message about ourselves. He encouraged introspection with an interesting analogy, which I'm going to paraphrase quickly:
"Once a woman was looking out her window and saw her neighbour outside in the street, bent over and searching intently for something. The woman went outside and asked, "what are you looking for?" Her neighbour replied, "I've lost my ring." The woman asked, "where did you lose it?" Her neighbour replied, "I lost it in the house, but I'm looking out here because the light is much better."
Often when we look inwards we find ourselves grasping around in the dark and choose instead to look uselessly outward, because the "light is better." Food for thought.
The service ended with more music and as usual I had to run so I didn't really get the chance to socialize. I'm very interested to see what this church or centre is all about, and i hope to return.
http://www.livingconsciously.ca/
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