A week unfolds

The Bethel Circuit of the MCCA is sponsoring a series of Evangelistic Services - one service every night at each of the 6 congregations within the circuit. The Rev. Christine Gooden-Benguche and 2 other women have journeyed from Jamaica to take some leadership in these services. Each congregation has been expected to prepare and lead worship for about 1 hour with an emphasis on music and then the team from Jamaica come forward for more direct leadership.

The first service was at Bethel Methodist, the largest congregation in the heart of Bridgetown. The place was packed, fans were all turned on and the gentle breeze carried a sense of anticipation. I sat with Mary and a few other women from South District. We sat maybe 4 rows from the front. There was a worship band to the right which included full drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, african drum, keyboard and flute. I felt like I was at home at Trinity United on a Wednesday night with our alternative worship time! I was really looking forward to the evening!

It is now Wednesday, I am still not sure that I can begin to describe the night in a way that can convey the experience. The music started and was a combination of older hymns and praise music from the UK movement of worship. I was touched to be able to sing along to some of these new songs of faith that we had in common - songs that I have on my MP3 player and listen to in the morning or at night. It felt like in these songs was a commonness throughout the world and that felt very, very good. People were mostly up and moving and clapping and singing ---oh they know how to sing from the bottom of the beings! And the cymbals - lots of them - wonderful! I was overwhelmed how it blazed through my being and radiated joy.

There were liturgical dancers, choral sharing, testimonies....moments of being touched that I noted for myself as something to nurture back in Canada where we are ever so shy to share our faith publicly.

About 1 hour and 45 mins. later, the music was beginning to shift towards the team from Jamaica. One of the women, Anita stood up and began to sing in a style that harked to me of Aretha Franklin - the sound that came out of this person, the intensity, the rhythms, the focus of her offerings of song - just blew me away! Her voice must have echoed throughout the entire neighbourhood. The gathered people got more and more energized, the singing got louder and louder and the dancing was more and more noticeable.

Then came the speaker - Rev. Christine. A wisp of a woman in comparison to Anita she stood before the crowd, said a prayer and within 5 - 10 minutes had doubled the energy in the room. I am sure that there were moments that my mouth visibly dropped and I just stared at the intensity and volume that radiated from her commanding presence in the room. She continued like that - walking and talking, shouting for attention, speaking truths and asking questions - for about 1hr and 15 mins.

Then there was a transition into the period of an alter call where people are asked to come forward with their particular needs and counselors would be there to pray with them. I'm not sure how long that lasted but I would guess another 1/2 hour, through which time there was some gentle singing.

Now for some reading this, these details may seem familiar to some extent. But in my middle class, southern Ontario, mainline protestant context, this was what I watched on TV periodically to see what others do in the name of their faith. It was new to me except for a Billy Graham Crusade when I was much, much younger. Every sense that I have was pushed to some limits by the experience.

I am aware that I still cannot process the experience well. And it happened again the next night and last night. I am exhausted for I cannot get to sleep well after these evenings. I am becoming more and more aware that I must find a place and a space to go and draw and paint and see how to make sense of these experiences. I hope that I can do that soon. I'll share more then as I am able.

Thanks for visiting - come again!