Next up is today’s preacher. If he introduced himself, I didn’t catch his name, but the congregation greets him with a standing ovation. He tells a funny anecdote about himself, and then launches into his sermon, which is on the topic of humility. He asks us to read six or seven Bible verses on humility, and says a little bit about each. An exhortation to humility seems like fine advice for me at the start of my year of church visiting.
The lady who had opened the service next takes the stage and announces the offering. She is all business about this, putting people on notice that tithing is not negotiable. She advises people to write their member ID numbers on their offering envelopes. Ushers go through the aisles efficiently, passing around white plastic buckets. After everything has been collected and brought toward the front, we are instructed to stretch forth our hands toward the offering and pray that our money would be returned to us a hundredfold.
A hundredfold! Maybe I should have put in more money.
After the offering the preacher issues an altar call; we bow our heads and anyone who wants to join the church or make a new start in life is urged to come forward. Five or six people walk to the front, we pray for them, and they are escorted out to another area. The service ends rapidly after that. There is no coffee hour. In the lobby, people are buying church items, such as videotapes. There is even an express line for people who want only a copy of today’s service. (How in the world have they managed to create them so quickly?) Everyone exits the parking lot quickly, guided again by the attendants. In fact, I’m out of the parking lot and back onto the highway less than ten minutes after the service ended. This church exhibits lots of efficiencies in moving people in and out and through the service!
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