Skip to main content

LA Church

I have toiled with this blog about church in LA, because it was so disappointing and therefore did not want my immediate feelings to dominate my writing,
On this sabbatical journey church is always a challenge. It begins with Google; searching, mapping, locating buses etc. I planned to go to a St Mary’s here but the buses worked against me, so I go to the cathedral. I wonder how St Paul did his church hopping without Google maps.
For those of you who don’t do church this might fit all your expectations. It was a vast building hiding a highly decorated interior. I brought a book from their bookshop before the service and spoke to a guy in the queue who was very nice and offered to take me for a beer, but I told him I was moving on the next day.
I sat in a pew on my own and waited for the service to begin trying to prepare myself, an indulgence I do not get to do often. There was music and a procession of the good and the great; robed, costumed and looking out of place in modern America. As a pack they make their way to the front of church. I am reminded of a German theologian who was on a lecture tour of America. On returning from church to his hosts for lunch he is asked, did you enjoy the service? He thinks before he answers. He replies in a dower German fashion. I never thought about enjoying church before. Here in LA we exchange the peace we receive the bread and wine and I hang about post service and have some free food. Not one person speaks me, no one. I don’t look like one of those dirty unwashed that sneak into church for warmth and free food. I like the German am not seeking entertainment. As we poorly attempt to sing the unknown hymns we are all I hope embarrassed by our lack of passion. Our response in the liturgy is void of the conviction that should bring to life the words that offer us and our neighbour an alternative world view. I am disappointed more so because these are my brother and sister Anglicans. I return to Downtown LA on the bus ignored. I wonder how many come to my church and experience something similar? I sit on the bus wondering did I not have enough faith.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Response To Bishop North

A while back Bishop Phillip North spoke to New Wine and caused a bit of a reaction one of it was a Tweet to my millions of followers. In response I had a phone call from The Church Times asking for a quote because I serve in a poor parish, I declined and said I would put a more considered response on my blog, so here it is with a link to The Bishops full talk. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2017/4-august/news/uk/there-s-a-future-for-the-church-if-evangelicals-put-the-poor-first-bishop-north-tells-new-wine 1.      One of the issues the church does not recognise is the exportation of people , talents and money from parishes like mine to middle class parishes which is draining and demanding on leadership. For 10 years I thought I was building a community, then it dawned on me I was building people up to go to other places. 2.      Bishop Phillip talks of abandonment of the poor: I think it’s more complicated than that. When ...
9 comments
Read more

Two thoughts

My two thoughts for the morning. As the BBC moves to replace the CofE as the national church of no belief, as parts of the BBC becomes more irrelevant in the new world is it possible The BBC will consume itself with its left wing cynical view? When the issue of faith is shown the back door and told not to come back who will the new priests and priestess pour their cynicism on? Perhaps themselves? For we all need the other voice who we don’t agree with to gain a greater understanding of who and what we are.  History tells us every regime needs someone to bully Secondly, will The Church not be better without these platforms of privilege? When we are no longer welcome on the platform of privilege as will happen at some point, will we not need to shape up to redefine what we believe, what we have to share, what we don’t need? Privilege tends to make you slow on your feet, breed chummy inward looking relationships, privilege steals from people the ability to move under the defining cult...
3 comments
Read more

YWAM Nensa

Mercy Air trip to  YWAM  Nen s a ,  Mozambique The  first mission trip of our  ‘ new normal ’   in South Africa  happened last week.   Azarja , our pilot, flew the team ;  which included Bruce, Stephen, Erin and Nigel  in the Cessna 310. We traveled from Mercy Air; to Kruger International (to exit SA); to Beira (to enter Mozambique); then on to Marromeu (12 hours total, including long waits for permits and visas – This is Africa!)   The drive by car ( in a  4x4) would take about 3 days on some very difficult ,  non-tarmac roads.  Allison and Leanna  drove  the final  1  1/2  hours  from Marromeu  to the YWAM base  at  Nensa .  As a rookie African  M ission ary,  I did  initially   feel a bit like Michel Palin without the film crew. The common red sand  road,  so   many people walking into the dark , headlamp beams throwing themsel...
4 comments
Read more