Churches in Hampden

Zion Church of Baltimore

2010-06-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

Now that my husband has Sundays off again, we've decided to conquer some of the churches in Baltimore itself. I'm hoping to branch this blog out with more visuals, perhaps on a website. For this week, we went to the only church in Baltimore that still has a weekly service in German. There is also an English service later on, but I have not tried that one yet.

Location: 400 E. Lexington Street

Worship time: 9:15 a.m. for the German service, 11:15 for the English service

Spiritual Leader: Reverend Dr. Holger Roggelin is a witty middle-aged man who is very welcoming. It was clear he knew his parishioners when he mentioned an older member who recently broke a hip. Though he did show his concern, Reverend Roggelin wryly reminded people that we are all getting older and need to remember we can't do everything we used to be able to do.

He also made sure to personally invite me and my husband to the Kaffeestunde at 10:15 and also to the beautiful, well-kept library behind the altar.

Congregation: The 26 parishioners were by and large an older crowd, formally attired, on time, and very close to each other. Yet, we were definitely welcomed at the Kaffeestunde. Hearing some of the parishioners' stories was a lot of fun. They made an effort to engage my husband, primarily an English speaker, in the conversation as well.

Interior: The church was very cozy. It was simple, wooden pews and mostly regular windows with a gorgeous stained glass above the pulpit to focus attention there. A small divider sectioned off room for an office and Sunday School.

Presentation: To say this church is beautiful is an armaggedon-like understatement. Zion Church was built in 1755 and has the graves of several important historical figures on site. Stained glass windows from different regions of Germany tells stories from a variety of places in the Bible. The pews are comfortable but bisected, which gives the church a fuller look.

Sermon: The reverend smoothly blended the firm belief that parishioners are personally accountable for doing their own soul searching about their beliefs with a kind and personable manner that understood the foibles of human nature. This message in particular was a bit difficult to make new, but the reverend managed. He pondered the Trinity and how absurd the "dreieinger Gott" even sounds. The reverend firmly asserted that God is relational, in all three parts, managing to stay quiet but intense. He also affirmed that the Trinity is one of the only ways that our feeble human minds can wrap around the mystery of the Almighty. Impressive, really.

Music: The hymns are traditional, some in the hymnals but others in the bulletin without the score. A lot of the music was call and response, which was more difficult to follow if you were new.

The pastor also added a verse of "America the Beautiful" in English to commemorate Memorial Day.

Overall atmosphere: The building and people have a serene pride that make me want to be a bigger part of this culture and city. I'm fairly certain I'll be back.

Woodberry Church of the Brethren

2010-01-17T10:22:00.000-08:00

Woodberry Church of the Brethren

If I'm correct, this is the last church in Hampden that I hadn't been to. Hope everyone has enjoyed the blog so far.

Location: West 36th and Poole Streets. It's actually down the hill from the Avenue itself, towards the light rail station.

Worship time: 11:00 a.m.

Spiritual Leader: Pastor John Weyant, a sweet and cheesy middle-aged man who takes a moment to think how to phrase things but is very enthusiastic.

Congregation: Of the 21 there, most were over 50. There were a couple of parents with young children. While dress tended toward nicer attire, some of the older crowd also wore jeans.

Presentation: Though the bulletin gave the disclaimer "This service is subject to change, under the discretion of the Holy Spirit," there was nothing scary about this church. Everyone who talked had a nice, wry sense of humor. The pastor and leaders talked through the transitions and made the transition from the Sharing of Joys and Concerns time to worship again fairly smoothly. I found that the post-Ravens' loss chattiness that greeted me at the door continued with the members' genuine concern for each other.

What really impressed me was the constant outreach and respect for other denominations. For instance, not only does this church work with local churches to supply the food pantry, but they invited all to Emmanuel's Rock at the Falls Road Methodist church on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for a contemporary service. Perhaps this is because this denomination, as one of the parishioners said, is smaller than many, but it will serve them well.

Sermon: The message, "The Model and Model Behavior," focused on humans, like the pottery of the Ming Dynasty, being stamped with the mark of God, making us very valuable indeed. Historical allusions didn't touch on the scripture part of things so much as why people make models at all and that if God is the potter, that he made things that are made to be used. Some of the references felt thrown in instead of meaningful, but at least there was a variety to be found.

Music: The songs were traditional and from a hymnal. The pianist played well, though the acoustics of the church made it hard for all of us to hear the right notes and adjust.

Overall atmosphere: So many people came to talk to me and were receptive to what I was doing. I was even invited out for a free lunch to further talk about the church and the churches in Hampden. Mr. Fred Wilhelm, a distinguished gentleman who seems to have become a bit of a local church historian, helped fill in many of the gaps.

The church does have a website, www.freewebs.com/woodberrycob, but it isn't very kept up. However, the COB is involved with the Christian Fellowship, a group of Hampden churches that gets together the first Thursday of each month at rotating locations to network. In February, COB will host this event. It always begins at 6 p.m. with dinner, which leads to 7 p.m. worship.

Since I believe I have attended all the churches, I will now mostly be posting updates from the Christian Fellowship. Please feel free to contact me at rmschwarz@gmail.com with any questions.

Greater Grace

2009-08-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

The place was a little hard to find, as the church isn't allowed to put up signs at Meadow Mill. Nonetheless, it's worth a visit.

Location: 3600 Clipper Mill Rd, suite 114. It's tucked into Meadow Mill, which you can access by going under the bridge by car or foot on Clipper Mill Road off of Union Ave, right behind the Woodberry Light Rail Station. Once you get there, go 3/4 around the building clockwise and come in the open doors.

The church actually started outdoors and moved into the Mobtown Theatre space last winter. See www.ggch.info for updated locations and events.

Worship time: 10:30 a.m.

Spiritual Leader: Pastor Ben, a younger man who works carpentry full time and volunteers on Sundays. Like all the staff, he doesn't get paid to do what he does, yet he prepares a text-rich comparison of various people and events in the Bible. He is enthusiastic but business casual professional.

Congregation: Only 16 people were there today, but a few were out of town for the weekend. Exactly half the congregation was male. Pretty much everyone but Pastor Ben wore jeans. Everyone was very friendly, and though the ages varied, it ran toward young college graduate age.

In September a Sunday school curriculum for the kids is to be implemented.

Interior: It was inside a small theatre with very nice seats that slid out a little to give more room. The sound was good, and it was intimate enough to work well for a small group. Apparently, sometimes they have to trip over the theatre group's props on stage.

Presentation: The adaption of the theatre space worked well and likely attracts people who have worshipped in similar conditions at college. There were no available Bibles, given the location, but the verses were on screen for easy access.

Sermon: The message was about getting away from following the law just to avoid punishment and moving toward God's grace just making us want to be good. A plethora of seemingly unorganized verse choices followed. One main focus was Moses, who didn't talk to the rock as he'd been told but struck it to give the people water. This sin caused him to be banned from the Promised Land. A few other connections were placed out there, but the organization of them could have been better.

Music: The songs were so new I hadn't heard of any of them, but all the lyrics were put on a projector. A musician with a guitar led the music part, which wasn't as long as I might have liked but was very pretty. A few talented singers in the congregation added harmony.

Overall atmosphere: It was friendly and welcoming. I get the feeling that, with continued community outreach such as the Saturday morning Royal Farms prayer breakfasts at 10:30, the group will continue to grow.

St. Thomas Aquinas Church

2009-08-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

A church review of the Hampden area would never be complete without the beautiful St. Thomas Aquinas, a combination church, school, and convent that rises high on Roland Ave near the fire station.

Location: The church is on the corner of Hickory Ave and 37th St., but it's most visible from Roland.

Time: I attended the 11 a.m. Sunday service. Mass is also held at 9 a.m. Sunday and 5 p.m. Saturday. Confession is at 4:15-4:45 on Saturday or by appointment.

Leader: Reverend M. Shawn Mahon, a man in the later middle age. He hadn't done a lot of research for the lesson, and it showed. He talked about immigrants speaking their native tongue, "Yugoslavian--or whatever language they speak," and I couldn't help but squirm and think that it's not hard to look it up and find that it was Slavic. He also could have just avoided trying to name it, if he didn't know.

He used a lot of vocal fillers and didn't seem very impassioned or sure of himself. He also was one of the few pastors I've ever met who didn't make an effort to greet me. I also experienced another first--a pastor saying, "Have a good day" in bland monotone after the blessing.

Hilarious.

Congregation: Some of the older generations were dressed up, but I also saw several people in sports T-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops. However, no one said anything to me, and they didn't seem overly friendly among themselves, either. There was a much younger crowd than in most of the other area churches, and there was more diversity, maybe 5% non-Caucasian. This, and the attendance of 113 people, really impressed me.

Interior: The altar was beautiful, with statues abounding. There were donated stained glass windows and dark oak eaves stretching high. Ironically, the wall outlining the elaborate altar said (in incredibly fancy script): "What does it profit one to gain the whole world but suffer the loss of his own soul?" I wonder if those putting it up thought about how the money going to make the church that gorgeous might have been more practically spent.

Presentation: There was no point by point bulletin to help me follow along, though the hymn numbers were posted. The weekly bulletin, sponsored by several local businesses, including two wine stores, did have contact information and the weekly prayer concerns. The bulletin did say, though, that 43% of American women have an abortion, which I thought was really high. It was. Please see http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html for accurate statistics. It really upsets me when churches do this--people should be able to trust those guiding them on how to live their lives.

I did enjoy the little baskets on sticks the ushers used to collect the offering from.

Sermon: The lesson was about the eucharist and letting yourself be transformed by Christ, focusing on that we should learn to be Christ in one another and to one another. The examples, however, were bland and didn't reach out past Christians at all.

Part of the prayer after the sermon asked for people to be called to be priests, nuns, etc.--a sweet self-preservation for the church.

Music: Organ was the only instrument. A young woman with a sweet, delicate voice led all the singing responses and songs. Unfortunately, it was hard to hear her sometimes, and she didn't always give page numbers for what wasn't posted. As a visitor, I found this difficult and discouraging. The hymns, all traditional, often only had the line for the melody written out, though some people improvised the harmony quite well.

Overall atmosphere: The church, as mentioned, is something to be seen and experienced. I do think, however, that I'd prefer to visit on my own than during service. It just didn't speak to me, despite the visuals.

Community Pentecostal Church of Hampden

2009-08-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

Location: 1301 Dellwood (basically the corner of Union and Conduit towards the Light Rail station)

Time: 7:30 p.m., which I found intriguing.

Leader: Reverend Allan Snyder, who went by Brother Ted, was an older man who played electric guitar and was all positive parts of brimstone and fire. He stomped on the floor, pounded the pulpit, squeaked the microphone with his shouting of praise, and had to pull up his pants as he hopped around the altar with his praises.

I can only hope the reason he used a microphone despite his apparent natural volume was that his hearing was going. His Bawlmer dialect was sweet, but I felt I could easily have heard less painfully from the house next door.

Congregation: There were 21 people there tonight, mostly dressed quite nicely, which often coincides with an older audience like this.

Interior: The church was always built to be small, which works well with the smaller congregation. It is wood-panel colored with some mauve accents. Fake candles and flowers were set in the window sills. There are no stained glass windows at all.

Presentation: There was a lot of congregation participation, with shouts of "Hallelujah," "Praise God," and "Yes" echoing and interrupting each message, point, or prayer.

Sermon: The hour-long message was very disjointed and disorganized, partially because of all the "Yes, Jesus" praises thrown in. It was about Saul who thought he was doing good for God because he was arresting Christians but had to listen to God to know what was really expected from him.

Most of the hour was actually about a congregation member's baby who was born fine, despite warnings of danger. The doctors that said the baby might be born with a condition was called agents of the Devil.

Music: Few people in the church could either keep rhythm or tune, though a few people enthusiastically clapped off beat and used their tambourines. Unfortunately, it wasn't until a few hymns in that Brother Jim realized he should shout out the page numbers of the hymns, since there were no bulletins or signs to say what numbers they were. Singers were enthusiastic but sang not a single song I'd heard before.

Overall atmosphere: Despite no formal meet-and-greet time, a few members did come and say hello. However, in general, the service and style were a little much for me.

Baltimore First Free Methodist

2009-07-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today I visited Baltimore First Free Methodist, a church from 1907 tucked away between the row houses on Keswick. I did have to wonder what the "free" meant since there are other Methodist churches in Hampden. I was told that the Free Methodists broke apart from the others in 1860 because Methodist churches were charging rent for their pews and because the Free Methodists didn't support slavery. Ironically, today the Free Methodists are more conservative.

Here's the scoop:

Location: 3441 Keswick Ave.

Time: 10:30 a.m. The 9:30 on the sign actually is for bible study, which is held downstairs. Originally, I came early and was confused until I picked up a bulletin.

Leader: Pastor Loren Edwards, a middle-aged man who seemed to hold his enthusiasm back a little more than he might have wanted to. Very kind, and if he mispronounced hyperbole, it can only be said that most of his audience probably had no idea (as an English teacher I winced).
I do have a feeling he's a little more conservative than he lets on--he mentioned praying for his granddaughter to meet better friends, friends who were Christian, and didn't say anything about either Jesus hanging out with local prostitutes and tax collectors or the ability to witness through word and action, even and especially to people who aren't Christian.

Congregation: There were 21 people there, many of whom arrived late. Almost a third of the congregation was under 50, a feat for the neighborhood. I was greeted by quite a few people during different parts of the service.

The congregation will be helping to remodel the Fellowship Hall next month.

Interior: Although the worship space had been very warm at 9:30, it had been cooled for the service. Pews were comfortable, and while the decorations were sparse, two simple stained glass windows with diamond shapes brought in a little light and color.

Presentation: Things were a little off of the order I'm used to. Both offerings and greetings preceded the sermon.

People were encouraged to come up the altar to pray during different times, and a woman was annointed by a blessing from the pastor and the hands of other parisioners to take blessings to her grandson in the hospital. A little more hands-on then some churches.

A few fun activities and groups were mentioned, such as Kidz Club and the ministry to local Chinese restaurant workers held the last Sunday of each month at 10:30 p.m., when they can actually come. This impressed me--it makes for a long Sunday.

Sermon: The sermon seemed a little unorganized and spent more time on the whole message, not on historical context. Smatterings of Matthew 5-7 were hit on in seemingly spontaneous order in a "People Power" message about Christians and the Golden Rule. The one historical point made was that Confucius also had a version of the Golden Rule before Jesus.
The usual humor and jokes made an old message fresh and fun.

Music: The traditional hymns were sung from the hymnals and a cappela; newer songs were presented on Power Point and accompanied by a single guitar. Surprisingly, the harmony of the small congregation was quite good.

I approved of the song leader stopping the guitarist when we got off on a new song so that the verse could be started again. It saved that awkward rush that one can get trying to finish the song without admitting that there were issues.

Overall atmosphere: People seemed genuinely interested in why I was there and respected that I had already found a church I wanted to attend--and still wanted to talk, something one can't say about all parisioners. The congregation and pastor continually work to make the church work for multiple generations. I wouldn't be surprised if it survived long after some of the other churches in Hampden dwindled; it is the attitude, not the building, that's important.

Church of New Hope

2009-06-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Location: Hampden Family Center on 36th (The Avenue)

Time: 10 a.m.

Leader: Things were split up between the Worship Leader, George Merson, and the Message Leader, Maxwell Brown. Mr. Merson was a sweet kind of cheesy middle-aged white guy; Mr. Brown was a serious but kind black guy who also played piano for the service. Multitalented!

Congregation: There were 16 people there, including three babies. Originally, I thought that this number was down due to HonFest outside, but it turns out that there were actually a few visitors, making the congregation larger than usual. Most of the people were middle-aged and wore casual clothes, though no jeans. Tattoos were visible on a few of the women.

Interior: The church was set up inside a community center, so the room was used for many things. The walls were a warm tan and the chairs, padded fold-out seats, were comfortable and set up to make the space look perfect for a small group of people.

Presentation: The bulletin had the music and words, though the hymns were placed in the bulletin so they fit, not in order that they were sung.

There was "Caring Time" to share joys and concerns out loud, which many did.

Sermon: Mr. Brown's message ("I Was Found by Those Who Did Not Seek Me") centered on not trusting religious people to have faith and distrusting the zealous, whom he maintained were either more into the culture of the faith or did what they did to earn points instead of out of faith. In the sermon, several other religions inside and part of the major three were insulted as zealous but wrong.

The entire message was a sort of logical ethos. The main points were numbered and referred to in order. Actually, there was little emotional swaying or personal story to any of it.

Music: Again, Mr. Brown played piano beautifully, and while there was no choir, many of the members sang with confidence and key. The hymns were upbeat if a little too traditional.

Overall atmosphere: The people were kind and invited me to have refreshments with them afterwards. They are nice people, but I'll be looking elsewhere for a little more zest and openness.

Good Shepherd United Methodist Church

2009-03-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the long delay. I didn't want to get too much of the Christmas effect, which would skew the data I'm trying to collect, and then, when it was cold outside, I got lazy. Now that it's warm and bright, I'm back to exploring.

This Sunday I went to Good Shepherd, the church that is offering its building to the congregation that lost a church last year. The services are still separate, though. I found out that the temporary group mets at 11:30, with just enough time for the Good Shepherd regulars to leave.

Good Shepherd is celebrating its tenth anniversary in October and seems optimistic. Though the bulletin says it needs $2310 weekly to survive and is collecting only $698, the parishioners still gave me a gift bag with a pen, notepad, information about the church, and pumpkin bread. Also, to fundraise for the new hymnals, they're encouraging people to buy one for the church in honor or memory of someone to get a name plate in the hymnal. This sense of ownership just might work, at least for this occasion.

Location: 3800 Roland Ave.

Worship time: 10 a.m.

Spiritual leader: Pastor Amy Sarah Lewis, a younger middle-aged woman with short-shaven dark hair and an avid smile who nonetheless seemed to lean towards the conservative and traditional, studied the Hebrew Bible at Colgate-Roster Divinity School and is currently working on her doctorate.

Congregation: There were 25 people there and six choir members. Four-fifths of the congregation was female. Most were over 60, and 96 percent was Caucasian. Yet, all were very friendly; I was literally greeted and welcomed by every member of the congregation either before the service or during the Sharing of the Peace.

People wore nicer casual clothes, so khakis and a nice shirt would work well.

Interior: Four enormous stained glass windows take up most of the wall space while the pews are arranged in a semi-circle, helping acoustics and general feelings of community. It was a little warm today, but the heat may not have been adjusted yet.

Presentation: The order was a little reversed from what I'm used to. The transitions felt short because the announcements and Sharing of the Peace weren't until after the sermon, though it seemed to work that way as well.

Much of the service was call and response. The only real creative aspect occurred during prayers, when parishioners called out names to be prayed for.

Sermon: The lesson was on the trouble with being just an "Instant Christian" and that people need to make sure they "take a hard right over an easy wrong." Only a little of the history was given. Pastor Amy noted that Mark is one of the most critical of the other disciples and that Peter wanted a steadfast general, not a man who says he's going to die...it's just not that good for morale.

Pastor Amy did throw in a reference to Freud's Id, Ego, and Superego when she was talking about how people get focused on the "I" but didn't really explain it. Based on the congregation, I am not sure how many people understood her allusion. Perhaps that's why she used not wanting to go to the hospital to see a dying friend as her personal example; it was a perfect example for her audience.

Music: The service started out with a song doused in Hebrew words. "El Shaddai" didn't seem to trouble any of the parishioners in either pronunciation or melody. This, like many of the other songs, had more of a minor key feel to it, perhaps because of Lent.

The choir of six, though predominately female, kept tight harmony.

During Lent, the other Methodist church in Hampden on Falls Road is sponsoring midday concerts and food. While some high school groups will be there, a few military brass sets will also brighten the Lenten mood.

Overall atmosphere: I felt very welcomed. Parishioners came to talk to me about random things, not just if I was planning to join the church. This church is very willing to work with other churches in the area and in fact will host a joint service with its sister church, Mt. Vernon Methodist, next week at 10. It will be followed by free pizza.

The church is very pleasant, but getting involved might be challenging; the choir, for instance, meets at 2:30 on Wednesdays. A lot seems to be geared toward the parishioners that are already there instead of trying to get new ones, which may continue to make the church struggle in the future.

Salvation Army--Hampden Corps

2008-11-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

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)

2008-08-31T01:39:00.000-07:00

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.