An Eye-opening Sunday by Cati (a pilgrim)
This trip has not ceased to amaze me, and now that we are at the halfway point, I want to emphasize that I’ve gotten an immeasurable amount out of this trip. My eyes are opening every day, seeing beyond the cataracts of doubt, ignorance, question, and even fear.
Today, despite the reluctance to wake up early yet again (welcome to a mission trip!) we early birds not only woke up, but also realized how worthwhile the waking was. Versatility induced in us a quite lively experience made unforgettable. We attended two church services back-to-back; a challenge to enjoy worshipping God in different ways while observing and identifying the ways we connected.
Franklin Avenue Baptist Church was possibly the most exciting and awkening -literally- service any of us have ever had the pleasure of being welcomed into. Not only was the sermon personable and enthusiastic, but also there was an aura of comfort and hospitality throughout the congregation.
Awake and alive, there was a sense of anticipation as to how the next service at Mt Olivet Episcopal would measure up to the whooping and Amens we had just been a part of. Even though it was a more
traditional Episcopal Service, without a powerhouse men’s choir or bold open-ended praising like Franklin Avenue had, there was no denying a sense of comfort and familiarity in the prayers and hymns of the liturgy which are part of our Sunday mornings back at home. The two churches were vastly different, but it allowed us to reevaluate our connections in each church and appreciate the different, the new, the typical, and the old. As well as prompting us to reciprocate the kindness that we’ve continuously received.