Adventure 17: Calvary Baptist Church

I have been a fan of gospel music since I was 9 years old, and saw a period piece on the Disney channel. It featured characters in a Baptist church, and I was charmed. So when I drove by Calvary Baptist Church on State Street and 1000 South the other day, I knew I needed to pay a visit to a Sunday service very soon! Well, today was the day!

In preparation this morning, I, of course listened to some gospel music. It was fantastic. It made me wish I knew the lyrics to these songs, so I could to sing along.

I don't know that I've ever driven through downtown before 8:00A.M. on an October Sunday. It's really quite lovely to watch the sun hit the buildings one by one throughout the skyline.

I have to be honest, when I pulled up and saw the full parking lot, and that all the people entering were black, I felt a little intimidated. I didn't know if I'd be stared at as an obvious visitor, or if people would be curious why I was there... but I sucked it up and put on my best smile.

There's something about going to a baptist church that made me want to wear purple.

When I first entered, a couple of minutes after 8, the service just getting under way, there was a charming older gentleman who greeted me and asked if I was visiting. He had me fill out a visitor form, gave me a card with the goals of the Calvary Baptist Church, the card with the Pastor's information, Pastor France A. Davis, and a visitor name tag. I actually didn't notice it was a name tag until I got home and saw the adhesive on the back... oops.

Since I was a little late, I missed the first few minutes, and stood outside the entrance with the other late-comers bowing our heads while a voice of prayer came from the chapel. The prayer ending, we were ushered in. There were ushers at the rear of all the rows of the enormous chapel smiling and greeting. 

I was immediately struck by the colors in the chapel. The walls were a deep maroon with white highlights. At the front, there was a row of men and woman facing the congregation who I later found out were the Deacons and Deaconesses. All the men in suits with red ties, and the women in striking beautiful white dresses of their own cut and style, with church hats. The sound system filled the space with the music of the 'music department' as they were called. It was a very warm feeling to enter into this space. I found an empty bench, right before a second prayer was said. The music of the electronic organ continued as the man with the mic prayed. I felt like the music actually allowed me to keep my attention better than other public prayers I've bowed my head for, and it was soothing.

Then came announcements. A man came up and spoke of a small group of women who had a vision of this church in the 1800's before Utah was even a part of the union. I was very moved by this. I had no idea the rich history of this congregation. They are preparing for the celebration of the 121st year anniversary. A week long celebration with services every night was announced. Also announced, were wedding and baptism anniversaries, by name, as those individuals stood.

I want to mention that I loved how well dressed this congregation was. Great care seemed to be taken by each individual to look their best. I love this idea. Dressing your best for your God. The church leadership wore white gloves, which was so striking and beautiful. I kind of wanted Fred Astaire to come out and dance! I know that's a strange correlation, but that's my immediate association with a man in white gloves.

We then stood to sing the congregational hymn. We were given the option to reference the hymnal, or the words projected on the two screens up front. The chorister put a mic to her mouth and sang out for us to follow along. The tune was simple enough that I caught on without the music to reference after the first few refrains.

This hymn book was thick! If I wasn't an honest woman I would have tried to smuggle it out so I could learn all of the gospel hymns contained here.

There were some beautiful references at the back of the book, like this one giving you suggested bible readings for meditation.

'Ministry of giving' envelopes. This part was something I've never seen. Everyone who had money to donate was asked to stand. Then one of the ushers starting at the back of the congregation lead the way for people to come up the center of the isle to the front with their donation. They handed it to one of the deacons/deaconesses where they were thanked with hand shakes.

After that, anyone who wanted to join an alter prayer was invited to come to the front, where they held hands in front of what must have been the alter while a prayer was said.

Then came the big choir number with the female soloist with the pipes to do all sorts of vocal runs. That  was great.

Next, Pastor Davis came to the mic. The man before him announced he's been with the congregation for 25% of it's life. I'm not great at math, but I'm pretty sure that's more than 30 years! He asked the visitors to stand, and I sucked up my embarrassment (again) and stood. The people around me were very kind and introduced themselves to me when I sat back down, so it was pretty painless.

The sermon, which came from Hebrews 2:3, focused on our propensity to put things off, and that we cannot put off our salvation. The message approach seemed to be to take one simple idea and say it again and again phrased differently and with different anecdotes and experiences. I thought this was interesting. By taking many angles at one thing, it gives the listener time to let it sink in and see which angle resonates with you. 

Oh, did I mention the ambiance was full of murmurs of "amens" and "yes, thank you Jesus?" Having a real feeling of participation with the audience made me feel less intimidated. It actually made me feel more a part of things sitting in a congregation that was so responsive to the service.

There were a few other white people.

A few shots from the lobby:

That's my friend in the grey suit who welcomed me. He found me after the service and asked me how I liked it. He also made sure I knew there was coffee and treats in the other room, and Sunday School next. 

It's clear there is a real community in this congregation. They know each other by name, they care about each other. The four page program handed out is full of community events and resources for any and all. Among these are youth programs, counseling services, and a weight loss program.

As I left this church I had a feeling of warmth in my skull. That's the only way I can describe it. The feeling during the service was one of warmth, and it stayed with me for hours afterward.

I can't resist a good blooper shot. The sun was bright at 8 AM!

Time spent on adventure: 1.5 hours

Money spent: $0

Recommendation: 8 out of 10 adventure points (everyone should experience a Baptist service at least once!)