You won’t like it! So said my wife when I went along with her to the local charismatic church this morning. Since I am a liberal Catholic Anglican, with strong emphasis on rational understanding of the faith and beauty in worship, she had a point. ‘Who knows’, I answered, ‘you might be surprised! ‘The church is situated on the High St in the old cinema above a cocktail bar . I had been there before but it’s had a makeover and now feels more like the old cinema with soft colourful lighting on the stage where the film would have been shown.
We were given a friendly welcome (in contrast to some of the other Anglican churches I’ve been to since retirement), a warm but not a crushing handshake, with someone engaging us in conversation as soon as we sat down. The chap looked at me. Don’t I know you? (he asked). Yes, yes, I was a Vicar locally for 30 years. ‘This must be very strange for you,’ he said.
There seemed to be no urgency to start the service on time as the band gathered in a prayerful huddle at the front. My wife tells me it was the third different band she’s seen in three weeks, which is quite impressive. After welcoming us about 10 minutes late, a ‘leader’ handed over to someone who gave an update on the health of a baby, born with many problems, recently discharged from hospital after a procedure. This was accompanied by ‘Praise God’ and much clapping,. Then ‘the Worship’ started.
Worship is one of those words that mean something different in each church. In the C of E , worship is the whole thing. Holy Communion is worship, non-eucharistic services are worship, baptism and quiet prayer are worship too. In a charismatic church, a ‘time of worship’ is the medley of 6 or 7 songs which start the service. In the past I have sometimes thought this a waste- why not sing one song properly, then have a break for a reading, then another song etc as we do? Yet that is to miss the point. The point of ‘worship’, beautifully led at this church by a really good 9 piece band (3 singers, 2 guitars, bass, keyboard, flute, drums), is not to sing one song followed by another but to draw you into praise. I couldn’t tell you which songs were sung. They were sung many times and were easy to pick up. One set of words I do remember: ‘Break up the ground of all my tradition, break down the walls of all my religion’, which made me smile.
This confirmed my view that ‘Worship’ is the charismatic’s sacrament. Just as the Ministry of the Sacrament, from Eucharistic Prayer to receiving Communion, is the heart of Catholic worship, where you can shut your eyes and meet with God, before taking Him in; just as the Sermon in a Lutheran church, so was Worship in this service. Interestingly, the words ‘Holy, holy, holy’ were sung repeatedly, just as the Sanctus in a Eucharist. What is sung is as important as the Mass setting- important but not crucial. The Act of Worship itself is central, with the worship leader playing the role of priest.
While this was going on, children were waving flags, people were making all kinds of sounds- speaking in tongues (I guess) but some sound which sounded rather animal-like to me, a kind of yelping. In between the keyboard kept going while the worship leader said or prayed something or someone else brought up a word, including a plug for their Wednesday evening group ‘Room for God’, prompted by the same words in a song. Generally, however, it was all pretty seamless. Some people held their hands up in the classic manner, but just as many gently swayed to the rhythm, making it much easier to join in with.
What was really noticeable in this very white part of the country was how multi-racial the congregation was, with a wide age range. Something similar might be found in other churches but I doubt it. It reminds one that charismatic churches are the fastest growing in the world, from South America to South Korea. When the worship had stopped, the children were led away to their classes. There are sadly few C of E churches locally at present where that happens.
It wasn’t all spontaneous, for suddenly some words from the Bible appeared on the screen as they were being read. Gradually the theme was revealed in preparation for the Word from the Pastor. The theme was forgiveness, lack of forgiveness and above all love, based in 1 Corinthians 13. A memorable quote was ‘The Devil can’t have our minds because we have the ‘Mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). The pastor is not your typical church leader. Speaking in a broad Glaswegian accent, which might have been hard for people from non-British backgrounds to follow, he told how he’d struggled with mental health issues and addiction for 20 years. On one level he was quite self-effacing, just emerging from the front row to speak dressed in a simple jumper. It was not tub-thumping and full of strong opinions and convictions which one might either support or reject, but more testimonial. Yet at the same time his words were arresting and authentic. He led by example. Talking about God blessing us, I felt he just about kept on right side theologically, not straying into full prosperity Gospel mode, for which, he said, there is no support in scripture. There was talk of imminent revival, as there has been in virtually every sermon I’ve heard in similar churches these last 36 years, which I consider a distraction from true mission in a secular society, but that seems to be part of the DNA of such churches. The predominant message that came across was love and the power of forgiveness.
Then, suddenly, when he’d finished his talk, it was all over. I found it surprising and a little disappointing that the excellent band didn’t return, even for at least one more song, but clearly that time, had now passed. There was no Blessing, no benediction, no dismissal. Just: ‘now we have coffee, you’re welcome to stay’ in a laid-back way. We didn’t stay but we would have received a welcome if we had. A natural and understated one, but still a welcome.
All in all, I found it a very positive experience, an authentic meeting with God in a different way, and I could sense its crucial importance for the participants, which one can’t always feel in church. I will probably return over the course of the next few months.
Hugh's Views 