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Nashville, TN: On Week 1 of The Great Church Search, Peanut had arrived at Woodland Presbyterian Church to find the door locked and place seemingly empty. Determined not to give up an exploration into the Pres'es (is that even a word?), we tried it again this week. And the added bonus is that staying within the 'hood provided us with a good excuse to sleep in an extra 10 mins.
Aesthetics: From the outside, the building is an colossal and ornate. Surrounded by a well-manicured lawn and flower bed, the middle double doors were open, which indicated our welcome into the establishment. Inside was a similar setup to the East End United Methodist Church: pipe organ as altar backdrop, stained glass windows and much cozier than one would expect when passing the massive structure.
Greeting: Upon entering, we were greeted by... no one. Literally, there was no one in the church except two kids up front who didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that they were the only ones there. We decided to take our chances (and our seats) and see if anything actually would happen when 10:30am rolled around. About 5 minutes before the set go-time, we heard voices wafting up from behind the sanctuary. Turns out, the coffee/juice/pastry hang happens BEFORE the service, though one wouldn't necessarily know that on her first visit. Once we were spotted as confused newbies, the pastor immediately made his way over with a warm welcome and a few of the other folks who had settled in around us also extended a handshake and a hello.
Community: There were about 50 people in attendance, 15 of them children and only one different race represented (African American). It definitely catered to families and seniors.
Music: The pipe organ was used for traditional hymns and during the offering, the organist mixed things up a bit with a piano solo on a grand piano.
Service: The service seemed very typical as compared to the other few churches I have visited. However, this venue added a little special something for those 15 young'uns that were otherwise engrossed in coloring books and iPods: the Children's Sermon. The pastor invited the miniature people up to sit with him on the steps of the altar and he began talking about hearing God calling you. "Does God's voice sound like your Mom's voice?" he asked the eager crowd. "Noooooo," they replied in unison, shaking their heads. "Does God's voice sound like your Dad's voice?" Again, a robust, "Noooooo." "What about your teacher's voice?" he pushed them. "NO!" was the firm response from the group. "That's right!" the pastor applauded them. "No!.... And YES!"
Message: Here's the thing: understanding this God stuff is not easy. When a priest / pastor / someone with some sort of authority in a spiritual manner tries to explain it to me, an adult, it's hard to follow and comprehend. I figured listening to the pastor spell it out for a bunch of kids, I might be able to grasp it a little easier. But when you hear something like "no AND yes," it's just as confusing. The pastor continued (to the rest of us big kids), "it's hard to sort out what God is calling us to do versus what we want to do, the temptation from others and the impact of advertising. How nice would it be if God's call came with a hashtag?" That made the most sense out of any of it. Can't God just be a little more direct on when there's some sort of action that needs to take place? Then again, if I have to really start using my twitter account, I will most likely miss the message altogether. Perhaps I just need to keep listening and perhaps I'll start to get a clearer sense of what God is actually saying.
Denomination: Woodland Presbyterian is a part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), or PC(USA), which is a denomination of Presbyterian. The Pres'es (again, can I say that?) originated in Scotland in the 1700s but the PC(USA) was established in 1983. According to my new friend, Religion Facts, the official stance on The Bible by Presbyterians is that it is inspired. "For some, that means the Bible is inerrant. For others, it means that even though the Bible is culturally conditioned and not necessarily factual or even always true, it breathes with the life of God." Wow. That inspires me!
Overall: It is a lovely church with lovely people. There is a true sense of family and welcoming to visitors (once they figure out where everyone has disappeared to before church begins!). For me, it didn't necessarily satisfy the place I am in my life right now, but it's just another step on the hill to gaining knowledge, wisdom and a closer relationship to God.
Contact:
211 North 11th St., Nashville, TN 37206
Website: www.woodlandpresbyterian-nashville.org
Facebook page
Reflections on the Journey Thus Far: God's voice may be difficult to hear without a hashtag, but the conversations I have with people about their faith lives have become one of the most extraordinary gifts of this journey thus far. I am learning to not only find my voice, but not be embarrassed to talk about it. Who knew others wanted to talk about it too?!
One More Thing: Despite the grey day, Peanut & I went to Sky Blue for delicious (and healthy!) breakfast food, discussion on our morning and much appreciated laughter. Here's her chef-approved blog: Bullet The Blue Sky.
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Community: There were about 50 people in attendance, 15 of them children and only one different race represented (African American). It definitely catered to families and seniors.
Message: Here's the thing: understanding this God stuff is not easy. When a priest / pastor / someone with some sort of authority in a spiritual manner tries to explain it to me, an adult, it's hard to follow and comprehend. I figured listening to the pastor spell it out for a bunch of kids, I might be able to grasp it a little easier. But when you hear something like "no AND yes," it's just as confusing. The pastor continued (to the rest of us big kids), "it's hard to sort out what God is calling us to do versus what we want to do, the temptation from others and the impact of advertising. How nice would it be if God's call came with a hashtag?" That made the most sense out of any of it. Can't God just be a little more direct on when there's some sort of action that needs to take place? Then again, if I have to really start using my twitter account, I will most likely miss the message altogether. Perhaps I just need to keep listening and perhaps I'll start to get a clearer sense of what God is actually saying.
Contact: