City of Hope

This past Sunday, Todd and I attended City of Hope Church in Columbia, MD. It is an extremely small Presbyterian church that meets in the Long Reach Village Center. And when I say small, I mean small. There were less than fifty? people in the room! Because it was so small, there was such a sense of community. Todd and I were greeted by a total of five people/couples that day, which is (sadly) five more than we normally get greeted by at other churches we have visited.

The service started out with testimonies and prayer requests and praises. People in the congregation just stood up and shared. It was a very intimate, caring environment- just like a large small group. It was great! I have never seen or heard this done in a church service before.

The overall service was a bit more traditional. There were liturgical aspects such as group chanted prayers and praises. Although the music was created with a guitar, drum and keyboard, the songs were traditional hymns. I thought it was refreshing to hear hymns I heard and sang when I was growing up however I don't think I could get used to only hymns every single Sunday. I don't think Todd was a fan of the hymns either.

The sermon was delivered by the main pastor. I have to say that this was basically the only thing I disliked about the experience. It was intense. It was loud. It did not fit in with the whole intimate environment. I kind of felt like I was being yelled at at some points. The content of his sermon was repetitive; he spent about thirty minutes restating the same point.

Overall, it was a good experience. I enjoyed visiting a more traditional church to take me back to my childhood church days. However, I don't think I could take traditional on an every Sunday basis. I also need a pastor who I can connect with when I listen to them preach.

Always hope... Maybe next Sunday!