Germany (Mainz): 2010, Day 6
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that I love church—the activities, the gathered people, the worship, the noise, the practicing worship band, the classroom preparations by teachers and the drop-off of kids to those classrooms. I love the smell of coffee, the sound of friends greeting one another and the general sense of expectation so many have that God will speak to them today! I even love church buildings and the way different congregations put their unique touch of the facilities God gives them.
Can I just say, I had a blast at church this morning! The Mainz Foursquare church is a congregation I’d be so happy to join. It’s well-pastored, and I could feel the health as I stepped out of the car—even before I got inside. Things felt normal, healthy and vigorous. The life of Jesus is being lived out in many, many people, and there was a groundswell of newness everywhere. The people I spoke with, though necessarily limited by my inability to speak German, were infectiously warm and eager. I know part of the reception I experienced had to do with me being the “guest speaker” and an obvious newcomer.
But people were gathered for a reason; the church is a place of refuge, recovery, welcome and belonging.
As is true in Switzerland, the welcome and announcements followed an initial song, and then we proceeded to the rest of the worship set. I really like that pattern because it gives the pastor an opportunity to greet and embrace the congregation—and to set people at ease. Though I couldn’t understand much of what Jan said, I thought to myself, “This is a good pastor.” He made everyone feel safe and expectant at the same time. I told him after the service that his “presence” and persona communicated a great deal to newcomers.
We were served communion in a very unique manner. The whole congregation was invited to the front whenever they felt like they wanted to take communion, so groups of people came up and formed a large circle of about 80 people, filling the entire space. A handful of individuals then offered bread and the cup to each of those in the circle. When the first group was done, another group of about 80 people came forward to receive in like manner. It took three groups to serve the whole congregation. It was beautiful to see both community with fellow saints and intimacy alone with Jesus happening at the same time.
My interpreter, a lovely young lady named Anna, did a fabulous job! She followed all my antics and mannerisms, and even did a good job at sound effects to go along with my story-telling. Everyone laughed lots, and after service, several people told me how much they enjoyed having fun in church—but “the message wasn’t just funny, it really spoke to me.” I told Anna later that she should consider becoming a professional translator!
Susanne, Jan’s wife, had felt prompted to read aloud one of the exact scriptures I used in my teaching, and she told me later how well my message addressed one of the big “issues” they’re dealing with in the church. Only the Lord can arrange those sorts of things… After service, Jan, Susanne and I went to lunch, and I shared my impressions of their church (at their request, of course). I’m delighted with the developing friendship between us, especially since I have been out of the picture in Germany for so many years since I was involved in the late 80’s with the founding of Foursquare Germany.
Later that afternoon, I power-walked from our hotel to the old part of the city. It was very cold outside, but a brisk walk soon warmed me up to a tolerable temperature. Pamela still is not feeling too good, but we’re hoping she’s on the mend now. She kept sleeping most of the rest of the day/evening, and it was very pleasant just to be together in a beautiful setting watching it grow dark outside.
