One Traveler

Sunday begins early in the Buckle of the Bible Belt.

Tom and I were out of the house by seven. A quick drive-thru for “breakfast,” and we arrived at his church. I’ve never played for an evangelical “mega-church” style service before, and I found the experience interesting…and frankly, more religious than I expected.

My background is fundamentally liturgical. I have a great deal of Presbyterian and Disciples experience, but even there we observed an order of worship. My roots are in the Latin Mass; there’s no use denying it.

My impression of the evangelical branch of Christianity is of the televangelist on a fern-bestrewn stage, howling about Jeeeeesus and the Baaaahble. I get a headache after three minutes precisely. And the music…forget about it.

Well, I had an enlightening time this morning.

First, I was greeted in a friendly and unfeigned manner by many people. There was much genuine kindness in the air. I took part in a rehearsal with a large choir and orchestra, there was a sound check in the “Worship Center,” and then I played a Buxtehude toccata for prelude. There was a little free time, so I filled it with a quiet improvisation on a spiritual or two, as they came to mind.

My friend Tom loves being at the conductor’s podium, and loves engaging both musicians and congregation. As the words to the hymns flashed on an immense screen overhead, the congregation stood and sang fortissimo. I mean fortissimo. I was very gratified! The hymntunes were Protestant classics like MARION and DIX. Excellent choices. I used the Fanfare Trumpet for the former on the refrain, and the congregation kept right up.

The music stopped, and two people were baptized by immersion. They gave a personal testimony first. The pastor said, both times, “Based on your personal testimony, I baptize you…” with the proper Trinitarian formula and use of water. I gather that a personal testimony is somehow key to this tradition.

The music resumed, and then I was able to leave before the 50-minute sermon. The regular organist was on hand to play the final hymn.

Beth drove me to the north side of Indianapolis, to my old Fairview Presbyterian Church. It was a lovely reunion. John Koppitch preached beautifully; I said hi to his wife and son; and there was a chili dinner to follow, with talent show. This included three tap-dancing sisters and a lady who writes poetry. Wow! John Schmid, the music director and my old boss, was doing much better after a recent spell of ill health. He looked tired, but was still his old self.

My pal Dorothy, now 96 and still actively painting, came right up to the organ to visit after the service.

I reflected on how intense, rich, and complex my three years in Indiana were. I had a doctoral degree program, full-time; I had a half-time theory appointment; I had a church job in Indianapolis; I had a teaching job in a music studio. I was active in a Bloomington church as well as Fairview. Between all of those friendships, relationships, and networks of accountability, I had favorite restaurants, routines, rituals…places and events kept popping into my mind. It was truly a marvelous season of my life.

Yes, there were weeks when I had to choose between laundry and groceries. But I came out of it with a major achievement and a well of memories and continuing friendships that will always, I hope, strengthen and renew me.

Fairview ranks high in those memories. On Saturdays, after my teaching was done, I had the building to myself. I might make a pot of coffee and just sit in the kitchen, in a rare time of complete aloneness before driving to my hosts for the evening. (God forgive me, there were times I did my laundry in the kitchen machines.)

Those hosts—wonderful people. I keenly regret missing them this time around. I would play harpsichord as one of them practiced baroque flute and recorder. I played from facsimile scores, often transposing or reading C clef. Then, a cocktail, dinner, perhaps the hot tub, and a private guest room.

The word religion comes from re-ligare, to bind back together. Both services this morning were truly, on many levels, re-ligious events.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at 9:17 pm and is filed under Hoosier, Music, Organ Music, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.