Two Lapsed Catholics Walk Into A Church....

Nashville, TN:  January 1st just coincidentally falls on a Sunday in 2012, so what better way to start the new year than by jumping right into my project: The Great Church Search.

Almost immediately after I posted my Facebook note about wanting to visit a different church each week, I got a text from a friend who was interested in joining me on the adventure.  The thought of having a plus one when I went on my church dates seemed too good to be true, but at 10:15am this morning, I got a call from Kris, aka Peanut, fulfilling her end of the deal.  She was standing outside of Woodland Presbyterian Church.

"I don't think anything is happening is here today," she said.  "No one is around and the door is locked."

Great.  Our first choice of nearby-church-with-a-mid-morning-service was a no-go.  Was this a sign that maybe we shouldn't be jumping around?  We are both lapsed Catholics, afterall.  Maybe God was telling us that we needn't be snooping into other denominations.  (Oh, Catholic guilt, how I can always count on you to show up!)

I jumped online and found the next closest location:  East End United Methodist Church.  Five minutes later, I was standing outside the tall structure with Peanut.  With the pangs of Catholic guilt still not fully released, I took and deep breath and told her, "let's do this."

Aesthetics:  Visually, the structure sits regally atop a hill in the beautiful East End neighborhood of (East) Nashville.  From the outside, it looks as if you might be walking into a cathedral (and is awesome as a wedding backdrop, as my friends B&C did).  But once inside, the room is smaller than you imagined and offers a simple, homey feel. The stained glass windows add a nice touch of color and the organ's gold pipes make for a nice backdrop behind the altar.

Greeting:  We were greeted by a soft-spoken older woman who offered us a bulletin.  When we sat in the pew (middle, back, naturally), we noticed the pastor (a female - still strange for me to see, yet inspired that some religions have finally come this far) was chatting with a group of women in a nearby pew.  I liked the buzz happening in the room (instead of the complete silence that is encouraged in other establishments), but was hoping she wouldn't come our way & ask too may questions just yet.  As we were leaving, however, she did make it a point to personally welcome us to the community.  It felt genuine and I appreciated the gesture.  (Though I didn't mention to her that she was part of my experiment... not sure if that would intrigue or offend people.)

Community:  There were about 50 people at the service and the majority were old white people.  There were a couple of families with small kids, a few lesbians and two people of mixed ethnicity (probably African American).  Considering there are over 700 churches in Nashville (that's right seven HUNDRED), I guess I can't expect all churches to be über diverse.

Music:  As I mentioned above, there was a pipe organ, so it was pretty obvious the music would be traditional hymns.  There was also a lovely piano with a couple of tunes played on that.  A bit too stiff for my personal taste (and a wee too loud), but it seemed to fit the scene.

Service: The service was exactly an hour and had a nice flow to it.  Personal prayer requests, song, readings from the bible, sermon, sign of peace,  communion, more songs and final close.  Communion was nice because the pastor invited everyone to the alter and said "it (the bread & wine) doesn't belong exclusively to our congregation, but is open to all who seek the grace and love of Jesus."  It was also nice because she used hand sanitizer before she broke the King's Hawaiian Bread and poured the grape juice.

Message:  The sermon consisted of a handful of mish-mashed stories.  There was something about a bucket list and not being able to get off of a mailing list and getting toilets fixed.  Just when I was just about to zone out and think about what we'd be having for lunch afterwards, the pastor got me.  "The question for the year is: Where is God in all of this," she challenged.  "Ask when it's easy, but also when times are most frightening.  And the hope is to have an immediate answer to share with those hungry to know that God is love and grace."  Lucky for her, I am hungry!  To know God... and to figure out where Peanut has decided to go to lunch today.

Denomination:  Thanks to my friend, Wikipedia, I've learned the overall basics of United Methodists.  It was founded in 1968 and came out of the Church of England.  They believe in the trinity, the bible and salvation through Jesus.  They ordain men and women and are against alcohol and abortion.  They don't approve of homosexuality, but "implore that families and churches not reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends."  Another website said "If you want something done, get the Methodists to do it."  Not a bad tag line.

Overall:  I can say the United Methodists are at the top of the list right now.  (Granted, they're the first one we visited, so the competition is scarce.)  The location of this particular church is a huge bonus (within walking distance from my house, if I'm feeling motived).   I'm not necessarily sure I would go regularly to services there, but I do know that if I went back, I would definitely be welcomed.

Contact:
1212 Holly St., Nashville, TN  37206
Website: www.eastendumc.org
Facebook page

Reflections on the Journey Thus Far:  One thing I've got to keep in mind is that Peanut and I both grew up Catholic.  So, any reviews we have to offer is going to have a Catholic filter.  The best part about Peanut joining me is that because she and I are from similar backgrounds and in a similar spiritual spot now, I'm interested in discussing our reactions to the same church.

One More Thing:  Did I say the best part about Peanut joining me is because we're both lapsed Catholics on a hunt for God?  Ok, true, but a very close second is this:  The Peanut Gallery.  I forgot to mention the fact that my friend Peanut is also a roadie (like moi) and a chef (not like me AT ALL).  So in addition to seeking out a different church each week, Peanut is going to find a different restaurant each week, at which we can discuss our discoveries over brunch.  Turns out she's also a really witty writer, so with a little coaxing (and by coaxing, I mean I said "you should write a blog!" and she said "ok!"), she now has her own blog about the happenings after our church-dates.

From today's adventure, check out:  The Madonna and Mad Donna's.

Crab Cakes Benny, 2 for 1 Mimosas and conversation about God.
I honestly don't know anything better.
If you have any suggestions on great churches in Nashville to check out, I'd love to know!  Looking forward to next week's adventure.

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