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| 1727: Second
Presbyterian, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA |
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Photo: Rebecca James |
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Mystery Worshipper:
Noogalator.
The church:
Second
Presbyterian, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Denomination:
Presbyterian Church
(USA).
The building:
The congregation was organized in 1838, splitting from First
Presbyterian Church over theological issues. Its first pastor
was the noted abolitionist preacher Henry Ward Beecher, brother
of Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote the powerful anti-slavery
novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. The present building dates
from 1959 and replaces an earlier church at a different location.
It is beautiful and unmistakably Gothic, surrounded by beautiful
grounds. Inside, the sanctuary is wide and spacious and leads
the eye to focus on the communion table. Behind the communion
table are tiered choir stalls, some of the organ pipes (the
majority are in a rear gallery), and a large stained glass east
window.
The church:
They conduct a number of outreaches in the community as well
as fellowship groups, classes and special events, all too numerous
to mention. See their website for details. This is a large church
with several traditional as well as non-traditional services
each Sunday.
The neighborhood:
Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana. As such, its economy
is heavily dependent on state government but also on education,
health care and finance. The city hosts numerous conventions
and sporting events. Of these, perhaps the most well known is
the annual Indianapolis 500 automobile race, the largest single-day
sporting event in the world. The church is located in an upscale
but not particularly fancy section of Meridian Street, which
forms the east-west boundary for street addresses in the city.
The cast:
The Revd David Berry, associate pastor for mission, led the
service. He was assisted by the Revd Karen Lang, associate pastor
for pastoral care. The preacher was the Revd Dr Lewis Galloway,
senior pastor.
The date & time:
May 3, 2009, 9.30am.
What was the name of the service?
Sunday Morning Worship.
How full was the building?
Probably about half full, although in a sanctuary that size
it is hard to tell.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
Someone gave us a ride up to the church in a golf cart. The
ushers were also really friendly. They were not shaking hands,
though, because of the swine flu scare.
Was your pew comfortable?
Yes. Padded pews.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Reverent chatter. Some chatter before the service, but it was
silenced when the prelude started.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
It was a warning about shaking hands and the swine flu scare.
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
The Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version, and Hymns,
Psalms and Spiritual Songs.
What musical instruments
were played?
Organ, an Æolian-Skinner opus dating from 1968 and refurbished
by the Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, Ohio, in 2003.
Did anything distract
you?
The choir marching forward during the processional and then
retiring to the choir loft in the back right afterward.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
The worship was from the heart. While it was very traditional,
anyone would have felt welcomed.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
17 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
9 – Dr Galloway commanded the attention of the congregation
while speaking in a style that anyone could understand. He occasionally
used some hand gestures, but not enough to distract me.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
The sermon was basically about trusting in God and following
where the Shepherd was leading.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
Wonderful music, wonderful preaching, wonderful building, wonderful
people.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
No eucharist. I thought since it was the first Sunday of the
month (when most Protestant denominations have the eucharist)
they would be having the eucharist, but they did not.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
We could not stay, as we had another event we had to be at afterward.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
As I said, we weren't able to stay, but I don't drink coffee
anyway.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
8 – I am a seminarian in a different tradition so I would
not be able to make this my home church. But if it were not
for that, this seemed like a comfortable and pleasant place
to worship God.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Yes.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
For the postlude, the organist played a fantasia on the hymn
All Creatures of Our God and King. It was gorgeous. |
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| The Mystery Pilgrim |
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| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
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