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| 2317: Mona
Baptist, Kingston, Jamaica |
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Mystery Worshipper:
Church Hopper.
The church: Mona Baptist Church, Kingston, Jamaica.
Denomination: Jamaica
Baptist Union, Kingston & St Andrew Circuit.
The building: The church is designed in a circular shape. The
benches are shaped in a circular pattern so that everyone is seated
around the altar, as it were.
The church: The church is located near the two major universities
in Kingston and was originally designed in part to minister to the
students. It offers a Bible study, women's federation, youth fellowship
and some lifelong learning classes.
The neighbourhood: Kingston is the capital of Jamaica, and the area where the church
is located is a mix of shops, commercial buildings and houses,
as well as the two universities. It is off a very busy road
and near a bus stop.
The cast: The service was led by Deacon Carol Lowe-Chin, and the Revd
Peter Harding gave the message. He was filling in for the
resident pastor, the Revd Dr Stephen Jennings.
The date & time: Sunday, 18 December 2011, 10.30am.
What was the
name of the service?
Morning Worship.
How full was the building?
It was half full – about 100 people. It looked like
the church could hold 200.
Did anyone welcome you
personally?
Yes, someone greeted us and handed us a bulletin.
Was your pew
comfortable?
Alas, no. It was a hard wooden bench with no padding, which
started to hurt the butt about an hour in (and we still had
an hour to go). While the benches looked attractive, they
were even less comfortable than straight wooden benches.
How would you
describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
I was a little late, so singing had already commenced by the time I got
there.
What were the
exact opening words of the
service?
Missed those.
What books did
the congregation use during the
service?
Hymns and choruses were projected on an overhead. The Bible
translation used was the New International Version. However,
people brought their own Bibles so there were probably many
translations.
What musical
instruments were played?
Keyboard and drums. No Christmas hymns on the agenda, which surprised
me, seeing as Christmas was just two weeks away.
Did anything
distract you?
Apart from the tough bench? As I said before, the church is very close
to the main road and, in true Caribbean style, doors and windows were
wide open (for air) so you hear the traffic noise. But the standout was
a truck rumbling down the road with very loud speakers urging everyone
to "Vote for the Jamaica Labor Party" (an election was coming up in a
few days).
Was the worship
stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
On the happy-clappy side. Hand clapping during the singing,
which I appreciated. When the prayer was given, the speaker
got very emotional, and the congregation started shouting
and praising. The preacher was more subdued and things quieted
down afterwards.
Exactly how
long was the sermon?
45 minutes.
On a scale of
1-10, how good was the preacher?
8 – He was a straightforward speaker, who held your
interest. He did mention that Christmas begins on 25 December,
a concept foreign to those folks who think that is when Christmas
ends.
In a nutshell,
what was the sermon
about?
"With God, nothing is impossible" (Luke 1:37). He connected
the Occupy movement with Advent and the upcoming election.
We need to capture the spirit of Advent, as it is deliverance
from the evil of the world. Luke's gospel is full of weak
people who encountered the power structure, and their fortunes
were reversed through Jesus.
Which part of
the service was like being in
heaven?
There wasn't a choir that day so the congregation did the
singing. It was wonderful. Back home, you get so used to being
"entertained" – either the choir or the rock band is
miked so loud the congregational singing does not matter.
Here it did, and we rose to the challenge. We sang "What a
mighty God we serve", among other songs, loudly and enthusiastically.
And which part
was like being in... er... the other place?
Have I already mentioned the bench?
What happened
when you hung around after the service looking lost?
People came up and shook hands to welcome me to the service. I was
greeted very warmly.
How would you
describe the after-service
coffee?
Mention was made from the pulpit that refreshments were available
for visitors, but I stopped to talk to so many people that
I forgot to visit the reception area.
How would you
feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 =
terminal)?
7 – I thought the speaker was very good and people were
welcoming. However, I could see that depending on who was speaking, the
church could get very emotional and into shouting and crying – a
bit too much for me.
Did the service
make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Yes, very. I love to see how God is worshipped all over the world.
What one thing
will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
Uh, the bench? |
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