Week 37 - Frontline Church

We stumbled across this church while leaving another downtown church a few weeks ago and decided to check it out. Downtown OKC has some amazing churches and this one is no exception. A non-denominational church, they have just added a 4th service to their schedule on Sunday. They also have a Thursday evening service at City Rescue Mission and have a satellite church in Shawnee. In addition, they have what they call “community groups” all over the city serving a variety of ages and situations. This church occupies a fairly small space, as churches go, in a building at 7th and Broadway. A wonderful band led worship with a female lead singer. As the worship time continued, people continued to stream in until it was standing room only. This is a come as you are group. It felt like anyone, from anywhere, dressed anyway could walk in and feel comfortable here. The sermon was interesting, thought provoking and sometimes funny. What struck me most was the comment that they wanted their church to be a place God would want to attend. While I believe that God is active and present no matter what the worship situation or style, I wonder what church would be like if it were truly the kind of place Jesus would choose for his personal place of worship. What if we didn’t focus on the design of the building, the worship group or band, the preacher, the pews or anything else that made us comfortable and feel good about coming to church? What if we just focused on being Jesus’ church? I wonder what that would look like?

Week 35 - Church of the Servant

Church of the Servant is a United Methodist Church located in NW Oklahoma City. It is a very large congregation with 2 worship times that are conducted the same way. They take a more conservative approach with a choir, led by organ and/or piano, with one worship song being led by a band. The ministers wear formal worship attire and they follow a pattern of worship outlined for you in the bulletin. The singing is conducted from the hymnal. There are no screens in the auditorium with words to songs, sermon points, etc. like you see in a lot of churches these days. The most striking thing about this church though is the actual auditorium. It has an abundance of clear glass, which on this particular Sunday let in a wonderful amount of sunshine. Scattered throughout were trees, foliage arrangements and even a rock formation. It was like worshipping in the outdoors only with comfortable seats and air conditioning. We learned this morning that we are all very much influenced by the atmosphere we encounter as we enter church. And, while we know that the worship setting is not what’s important, we know it affects us. The good new is, God isn’t influenced by that and He shows up anywhere there is worship going on.

Week 33 - Skyline Church

Skyline Church is located in downtown Oklahoma City and worships in an auditorium in a business building. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable. There was a stage with a small band that led the worship time. The sermon was thought provoking and inspiring and very well-delivered. The highlight for me, though, were the two teachers who talked about the schools they work in and why. These people could work anywhere, yet they choose to be in schools where there is 100% free lunch participation. They enter into the difficult lives of their students and provide hope and unconditional love. This is a group of people who have put together a lovely worship time and really enjoy each other’s company. However, what was impressive was their commitment, as an entire congregation, to the Christian walk in their everyday lives. I got the impression that church to them was just the respite on Sunday morning that fueled them for a week of service. A lesson for us all.