Trinity Presbyterian Church, 2200 N. Bell Ave. in Denton, shuttered its doors Sunday. Anyone seeking to worship there would have found an empty parking lot, no greeters, no worship about to begin.
Instead, the members and choir of this Anglo “frozen chosen” Presbyterian church headed over to the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1107 E. Oak St.
The previous Friday, the members of the two churches had gathered for a potluck dinner and a viewing of When We Were All Broncos, director David Barrow’s powerful film about the desegregation movement in Denton. This is a film everyone living in Denton needs to see.
When my friend and I arrived at 10:30 a.m., the combined choirs were rehearsing the blending of two different sounds and styles.
After they finished, several members of St. James came to the front to lead us in informal singing and preparation for worship. They were soon joined by an adorable little girl who brought her tambourine and added perfect rhythm to the team.
At precisely 11 a.m., the back doors to the sanctuary opened and the combined choirs processed in, singing, “We Are Marching in the Light of God.” The rest of us stood to honor the beginning of worship.
The Rev. Mason Rice Jr., pastor of St. James, led forth in a consecration prayer, asking the spirit of God to fill this place and rest upon us all. The congregation responded with a rousing doxology, offering sung praise to God.
A mixture of responsive reading of Scripture, prayer and music for the next 25 minutes then led to the first of two offerings for the morning.
Before any funds are gathered for the church needs, the congregation sets money aside for benevolence. These funds help those who are in need. It was made clear that these gifts are not part of the usual giving commitments, but above and beyond.
For this offering, the stewards and ushers passed the offering plates down the pews. Not the case for the second offering, which took place after the Trinity Presbyterian choir blessed us with their musical talents.
At 11:45 a.m., the Anglos discovered a whole new way to present their normal offering. My companion turned to me, startled, and said, “We go forward to give our money?”
Yes, oh yes, we confused Anglos finally figured out that we were to come forward, pew by pew, and place our funds in the offering plates. It is a spectacular way to show that our giving is an act of worship and needs to be acknowledged publicly. Electronic giving is most common today, but we lose much by such convenience.
Rice announced the altar call, a time when any may come forward to kneel and offer their prayers for themselves, for others, for anything.
These quiet moments of interceding for the needs of the world remind us that worship is a communal act, not just a group of professionals showing off their talents from the front.
It’s a time when all come together in vulnerability before the holy God, aware of our smallness and our insignificance, yet finding ourselves welcome at the throne of grace.
These holy moments were followed by the combined choirs taking us to the threshold of heaven by their musical gifts. They sang of the hope of unity, “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for kindred to dwell together in unity.”
At noon, the Rev. Craig Hunter, pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church, came to the pulpit. This is the normal time for Anglo church services to come to an end.
With a great sense of humor, this “Yankee white preacher” announced that he had learned that he had a full hour to preach and was going to launch into a lecture on Calvin’s doctrine of predestination.
At that point, he skillfully led the congregation into the wilderness, the place where Moses saw the burning bush, where Jesus met with and turned away the Tempter, and where mystery and danger surround us in these unfamiliar landscapes.
Hunter reminded us that we never emerge the same as we went in. The wilderness, outside our comfort zones, is the place where intimacy with God begins.
We are called to wilderness living, not complacency. In this wilderness, we may address the continuing racism that pervades our society, moving from the current unjust construction of power to a more just and holy society.
At about 12:30 p.m., Hunter handed the pulpit back to Rice, who exquisitely summarized the message as he invited those who sensed a call to unite with this church to come forward.
Unfortunately, it was necessary for me to slip out, as I had a quickly approaching appointment, so I was unable to stay for what I sense would have been a lovely ending to a unique morning of worship.
Yes, it is often at the margins where we are most able to see God. What a grace to have been in attendance that day.
By the way, Trinity Presbyterian Church will have open doors again this coming Sunday.
THE REV. CHRISTY THOMAS can be reached at dr.christy.thomas@gmail.com. Her blog is at www.christythomas.com.
