Salvation Army--Hampden Corps

Just down the street from me, the Salvation Army has been a bit intriguing.  In fact, up until I saw that the church was advertised on LiveBaltimore, I hadn't known Salvation Army did church services in the United States.

Location:  3401 Roland Ave.

Worship time:  11 a.m.

Spiritual leader: Captains Joe and Candace Bottoms

Congregation:  Although there were only 39 people there, the smaller room made it feel very full.  The ages and races were quite varied.  While many people had uniforms on, regular parishioners tended toward khakis or nice jeans.

People who were new or hadn't come to church in a while were asked to stand up and introduce themselves.  They were given a candy bar for this.

Interior:  It was very plain inside, but the pews were padded with the same plush pinkish-purple as the carpet.  It was very comfortable.

The bulletin was very colorful, and four flags were presented in the worship space.

Presentation:  While there was a presenter, it was only used for certain songs and not at all for the lesson.  A few song books and bibles were at the pews for use.

Prayer concerns were shared early in the service and repeated for praise reports/prayer concerns before the sermon.  

Sermon:  The sermon had to do with no foods (spiritual or otherwise) being forbidden but that not all were good for you.  The pastor used parts of "The Three Little Pigs" to talk about spiritual strength and took liberties with the traditional tale.  The sermon was heavy with stories about his own good deeds and how, with God's help, he overcame what he really wanted to do.

Music:  There seemed to be a few rules about what kind of music was presented when.  The opening songs had no lyrics but lots of hand claps and movements.  Then, some traditional hymns such as "Amazing Grace" were presented by four women and a guitarist; rhythm was difficult to follow.  Strangely enough, the song book songs were accompanied by a beautiful brass section.

Overall atmosphere:  The people seemed very friendly with each other but didn't make a lot of effort to know me after the original introduction.  People who want a bit of "Southern good ole boy" should love it here.

Village Church Baltimore

The new church that is sharing the space with the Hampden Baptist Church is now on its fourth meeting.  I went to see what this church, the only one so far with real internet presence (www.VillageChurchBaltimore.com), was up to.  You'll notice the interior is clearly the same as Hampden Baptist's, so I didn't really change that part.

This church also advertised its Facebook group.

Location:  3645 Roland Ave.

Worship time:  11 a.m.

Spiritual leader:  Pastor Dan Hyun, a new dad clearly thrilled about God and life in general, used a lot of slang and reached out to a younger audience. He talked a lot about what he didn't want the church to be--a "holy huddle," as he said, of people who stayed with people, circumstances, and messages they knew.

Congregation:  There were 32 people there, many of whom were there for the first time.  About three-fourths of the people were under 30.  A few people who weren't Caucasian were there--a nice change.

As soon as you walked in the door, greeters actually started conversations and encouraged you to wear a name tag--even the pastor wore one.  It wasn't just a new member thing, which was nice.

Interior:  Going up the steps, which could be difficult for a few people.  The church from the 1870's had 10 stained windows.  I'm still impressed by the lit up stained glass of Christ's face.

Coffee and homemade cookies were waiting (unaccompanied by offering basket!) inside the church itself, making a pre-service watering hole as a preview for the free lunch held downstairs after the service.

Presentation:  A presenter run through a computer displayed the Bible verses and song lyrics on either side of the organ pipes.  Text was big enough to read comfortably.  Free Bibles were available at each end of the pew and matched the version displayed on the screen.

The sides were roped off, and the pastor's wife asked us all to move up.  This made the space seem cozier, of course, and showed good presentation skills.  People talked to each other a little more when they were physically closer.

Sermon:  I would have enjoyed a little more history lesson about the Samaritans from the lady by the well story (John 1-30), but a brief background of how the Samaritans came to be and how Jesus didn't have to go through Samaria was appreciated.  Context clues were really fleshed out.  That the woman by the well (normally at the time a social activity) chose to go alone and at noon, the hottest part of the day, was connected to the fact that Jesus knew that she had had five husbands and was sleeping with one who wasn't married to her now.  Then, Pastor Dan connected the effects of gossip to what often happens in churches; he talked about healthy ways for members to support each other.

Music:  The pastor's wife played the keyboard and led the songs vocally while another member played a drum.  A variety of late 90's and more contemporary songs made up about 15 minutes at the beginning of the service and then a little less than that at communion/closing.  

Communion, by the way, gave the parishioner the choice to go up whenever he or she was ready at the end to dip the bread into the wine.  This avoided long lines and being forced to break off reflection, but it did mean that people were constantly looking around to read others' nonverbal communication to see who was going up when.

Overall atmosphere:  Anyone who's liked the college church presentation but felt lost in the big numbers would feel right at home here.  The newer technology and energy don't intimidate here; they draw in.  The members have noted that there will be a lot of changes in the next few years as they get on their way.  It should be interesting to see what happens.

Hampden United Methodist Church

After a one-week hiatus, I decided to go to the most visible church in Hampden, Hampden United Methodist, which has a large announcement board that's constantly updated. The church even affects traffic rules (the left lane of Falls Road going northbound becomes parking each Sunday for the church service). The prerecorded church music played before the service is noticeable a block away.

The church is known for community events. Two that are coming up are the Elvis Night, where food is served by girls in poodle skirts on roller skates, and the Christmas play, It's a Wonderful Life.

Location: 3449 Falls Road

Worship time: 10 a.m.

Spiritual leader: Pastor Robin B. Johnson, who has a pleasant Southern drawl and lots of excitement. His house adjoins the church upstairs, and he gave up one of his rooms in his house for Emmanuel's Rock, a decked-out youth room with refreshments, a drum set, air conditioning, and two computers with Internet access. This room holds youth events and is a planned space for contemporary worship.

Pastor Robin preaches twice each Sunday as he is shared also by the Mount Vernon United Baptist Church on 34th Street, the one that burned down a month ago. That church is currently meeting at Good Shepherd on Roland Ave.

The pastor remembered my name and gave me a personal tour after the service, sharing his vision of future changes to keep the congregation's numbers growing and passionate.

Congregation: Perhaps because of many coming from outside of Hampden or because of the parking spaces, this church is bigger than most in Hampden. Today, 49 people attended. About one-third of those were young adults, dressed in everything from suits to wife beaters.

Interior: The church had wooden pews without cushions and no air conditioning, but personal paper fans were provided to add to the open stained glass windows and fans blowing. There were six warm but simple stained glass window sets that blended well with the soft green walls.

Presentation: A lot of the service depended on others' contributions. A man with a microphone came around so people could give announcements, add to prayer lists, and share accomplishments and blessings. Hymns and bibles were in hard copies, keeping the bulletin short. People seemed very friendly.

Sermon: Because there were enough children to make it work, the pastor started with a children's sermon that used candy to talk about sharing and forgiveness. It was cute.

Like the Baptist pastor, this one blended contemporary and historical information. The story was about the servant who was forgiven by the king for his 10,000 talent debt (which meant 15 years' worth of a manual laborer's wages) but punished the man who owed him 100 denarii (100 days' wages). He alluded to "Dirty Jobs" for context and to add imagery.

Music: A second alto soloist sang to a pre-recorded background, earning applause. The rest of the songs were sang in unison and were traditional ("Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" and "Oh, How I Love Jesus" as examples).

Overall atmosphere: I felt that this church was very involved with the community at large and reaching out, not just with each other. It was moving forward.

Hampden Baptist Church

Today I visited Hampden Baptist Church, a beautiful stone church I pass every time I walk up to the Rotunda.   I found out that in a few weeks, another church will share the church, meeting at 11.  More updates on that to come.

Location:  3645 Roland Ave.

Worship time:  9 a.m.

Spiritual leader:  Pastor Jon Brewin, a young, energetic man with great interpersonal skills, reached out to all generations present.  He was knowledgeable but pleasant to talk to.

Congregation:  Around 30 people usually come, but with Labor Day, about half that showed up today.  It again was mostly an older crowd.  The pastor and the parishioners were well aware of each others' personal lives and asked a lot of caring questions.

Interior:  You had to go up steps, which seemed difficult for a few people.  There, a lovely church that had been restored numerous times since the 1870s boasted 10 stained glass windows on each side (every other one was detailed).  A large stained glass of angels and Christ garnished the back.  A small picture of Christ's face lit up at the front of the church when lights were turned on to start the service.

Although there was no air conditioning, the side stained glass windows actually had a bottom section that folded out, allowing air flow. Clever.

Presentation:  A hymn and a bible were available at each pew.  The bulletin was short, leaving room for changes.  Here, the pastor seemed to set what was studied; the congregation finished Acts today.  

Sermon:  As mentioned, the message started with the historic (an analysis of the temples of Artemis that Paul was combating)  and brought to the present by talking about Charles Sheldon's book "In His Steps" that brought about the WWJD bracelet.  He even said the world "cool" in the sermon, which amused me.

Music:  A choir of four sang a few songs.  The problem was that one of the singers was closest to the microphone, blocking any harmony that might have been there.

The organ was high quality, and the sound was good.  The deacon led the songs, again traditional, such as "Send the Light" and  "Onward Christian Soldiers."

Overall atmosphere:  I felt very welcomed right away.  Just about everyone came to shake my hand and ask how the new house was.  A great crowd.

St. Luke's (Lutheran)

Last Sunday I visited the first church, St. Luke's.  It was an easy first choice because I grew up Lutheran and because of their sign out front, "Come join us, hon!"  The church's 125th anniversary was coming up.  

Location:  800 W. 36th St.  (corner of 36 and Chestnut)

Worship time:  11 a.m.

Spiritual leader:  Reverend Michael A Dubsky was very self-complacent in his delivery, inspiring little extreme of emotion. Yet, he knew every parishioner's personal life and asked for updates and details.  He did not embarrass the one obvious visitor by making a big deal, but he did come to me at the end to welcome me anytime and hope that I'd enjoyed the service.

Congregation:  About 35 people mostly at the ends of the age spectrum.  There were a number of elderly, all of whom were clearly dear to the rest of the congregation.  They kept coming back to check on those who had difficulty walking.  Children probably made up two-thirds of the number there.

Interior:  Worship services were being held in the chapel, a cozy room with two simple stained glass windows (one with a shepherd and one with Jesus with the children).  There were some pews, but the back was filled with folding chairs.  By September, they plan to go back to the main room--a shame, really, because the larger space will make it seem emptier.

Presentation:  The service depended highly on the handouts sent by the synod, even using the given prayers of the day. Hymns were printed in the bulletin.  

Sermon:  The sermon was light-hearted but had little new information or inspiration.

Music:  Perhaps three people in the room new anything about pitch (not including the organist).   The tried and true were sung, "For the Beauty of the Earth," "The Church's One Foundation,"and "My Hope is Built on One Foundation." Comforting but bland.

Overall atmosphere:  Friendly but routine.  The parishioners clearly enjoyed getting to catch up on each others' lives and share their faith, but people who didn't grow up in this church would probably need a little more encouragement to get involved.