Church Hunting: A R Church

ARC

We decided to try the Mark Dever church, Capital Baptist, that so many at HBC spoke about as a good alternative. But frankly, it's about as far away as Hope was, and with our myriad reasons, going to that church would mean we would be an uninvolved as before, which would have been the principal reason we would leave Hope, had the fun of 2017 not happened which pushed us out.

However, late leaving our house, we reached a decision point where we either cross the river to Capital Hill, deal with parking, and arrive late, or go to the nearby ARC, which was also on my list. So we went to ARC.

I liked this church. Very informal. They meet in a giant High School auditorium. I had heard the pastor online and he seemed very solid. Now, this is a black church, and I'm white. I was definitely a minority (but not the only white face by far). Still, I felt comfortable. It didn't have the chaos my friends tell me reigns in "the Black Church" (at least that's what my African American friends keep calling it as a general group of churches). Unfortunately, another guest speaker (who spoke well). But the senior pastor was there and spoke a lot about several programs they were doing, things to help the community.

First, I was impressed. Yes, it's not in a wonderful area of town, yes, I'm a minority white face, yes, statistically I have a higher chance of being mugged on my way to the car. But this church had a freshness, a life to it. I loved singing the old hymns with them. There was energy. I liked that they had a sense of mission in their community. I liked that they are engaged in job training, practical things, and that when they called for volunteers for this or that, it is practical, aimed at practically impacting lives, but doing it clearly in Christ's name. I expect a number of people come into the church having experience kindness from them. And they're not small. I liked that for such a huge size, the church felt poor, drawn from a poorer segment of the community. Shared inconvenience, and I'm not sure any minded, and I really believe that brings people together. And the greeters were chatty and engaging and they seemed to genuinely like speaking to us. Now one old black sister confided something in Rebecca (expecting Rebecca would agree), judgmental, I forget what, that really offended her, but it was also raw and honest. After the years, it felt refreshing to me to not to have to wonder what people are thinking.

But there were also red flags too, that reminded me that I was a foreigner. The visiting (white) preacher, preached a LOT about justice. He knew his audience. That word was repeated again and again and I couldn't shake the feeling that if you replaced the word "justice" with "kindness" and "Christian charity" (behavior, not money) it would have fit better. When you label your desire for respect and kindness and justice, you confer on it however the sense that it is fair, it is owed, and you strip out of it the component of love. But I get the sense this is exactly how this community thinks of what they want and hope for. They call it justice, wanting people to treat them decently and kindly.

The real lack of kindnesses to them, care for them, is processed as an injustice, instead of being the default condition of humanity where we have to regularly teach people to be kind and loving to one another where it is foreign to sinners and simply manifests itself, inconsistently and in a myriad of ways.

I would prefer to love someone, and it be recognized as love, than a function of justice. Because it's not. And we should encourage others to love because it reflects God's image, rather than appealing to some sense of fairness.

Subsequent controversies that the senior pastor seems to have gotten himself into confirm a sad impression that the church has a racist twist to it. I'd be just on the other side this time. Still, I think I probably could live with it. I proposed going back. Rebecca looked at the area and was very uncomfortable. Having gone to church, growing up, in a part of Los Angeles that was very sketchy (many brethren had their cars broken into), I didn't feel so out of place. But I understand. And my risk sensor needs general tuning in my life anyway.

Still, sad, because I really liked that church. While they were calling for volunteers, my mind was racing, processing "well, I could do that" and "I like to do that". I felt alive thinking about what I could be doing to fit this good need and purpose. That doesn't happen often. My general struggle is believing there are many places my talent my be useful but thus far, I'm only useful at home and work.

And the teaching appears otherwise very solid, even exceptional. The strongest by far in this area, with the possible exception of its parent. I've listened to a number of their sermons online.

But we wouldn't be able to do it, be a real part of the life of the group, just as a function of the distance.

And that excluded Capital Hill Baptist as well for the same reason.