Church Experience

**This one's for you, Dean**

Mallory and I went to Capitol Hill Baptist on Sunday morning. By the time we got there (just a few minutes late), the service had begun. We walked in downstairs and were told that the pews on the lower level were all full, but that there was seating in the balcony. Hurrying up the stairs, a very friendly usher directed us to some open seats.

The ceilings were high and the light streamed in from the left through some stained glass windows near the top of the church. Because the sun was shining in all its glory, the lighting was welcoming against the dark red carpeting. The congregation sat in a U-shape around the pulpit, which was perched on a modest platform only about 15 feet long.

Our seats were very comfortable (they had about eight inches of padding on them) and I couldn't help but think about halfway through the service that they were the most comfy church seats I'd ever sat in. Plus, they had these fabulous arm rests on the side that were the perfect height. Y'all know what I mean... sometimes, they're too low and you have to lean halfway over to just prop your arm. That just defeats the purpose.

The service was very traditional and I was transported back to earlier days of my youth when we'd sing out of the hymnals. They had a couple different hymnals and once we got an understanding of which one we were supposed to sing out of and when, we did alright.

The regular pastor wasn't there Sunday because he was (ironically) down in Greensboro, NC, for the Southern Baptist convention. So, a younger pastor (intern?) delivered the message. While I was a bit disappointed that the regular pastor wasn't there, because I'd heard such awesome things about him, I did enjoy the message.

Taken from Psalm 117 (the shortest chapter in the Bible, with only two versus), the message was on praising God. It was a great message, one that filled my (very) thirsty spirit.

When the service was over, Mal and I slipped out the same way we came in. Once we entered into the basking sunlight, I looked her way with anticipation.

Smiling because of what I got out of the service, I asked, "Well? What did you think?"

She brushed her hair behind her ear and returned my smile with a smirk. "Eh, it was okay." She looked ahead and we continued walking towards the apartment.

Shocked and dismayed at such a different response, I probed for her reasoning. "I just felt like he was trying to sell me something." How did she get that from a message about praising God? "I don't know why. It was just something about his tone. I just didn't like it."

I reviewed the message in nanoseconds in my head, searching for his tone. There was a tone. Not sure whether "selling" would be how I'd label it, but from my reaching, I could understand what she meant. She obviously didn't like it.

We talked about how he was filling in for the regular guy. She's agreed to go back with me. We're gonna check it out before we make a decision between Capitol Hill and National Community where Mal has been attending. They are both very different churches, with the first being very traditional and the other quite modern. If it helps in painting the picture, the second meets in a movie theater in Union Station and has very different music, featuring a worship band. The words to the songs are projected on the screen instead of read from hymnals.

So, we'll visit again before we make a new church home in the DC area. And really, I think either one would be fine with me. It's not where we are, but why and who we're there for that matter anyway.