Segregated Churches Should Go the Way of the Dodo

I just got out of a meeting.
The meeting was hosted by the department of transportation and it was filled with a lot of angry old black people from the United House of Prayer and other black churches. They were there to protect the diagonal parking they have grown accustomed to having. They apparently also sent a letter to DDOT to say that taking away the diagonal parking was infringing on their religious liberties.
Bull crap.
Religious liberty does not extend to crap you don't own. Like the street. Driving and parking is not a tenet of faith, but then again, UHOP believes in firehose baptisms maybe parking on public city streets is part of it too......I consider them as Christian as Mormons and 7th day Adventists.
But there were members from Baptist churches too, there to support the Afro-centric United House of Prayer. And I was reminded of one of the reasons why I left the black church. My G-d is not my culture and the black church sometimes gets into the business of worshiping Black history. In this case mistaking the privilege to park in front of their church building with following Christ.
There was a claim that black churches were being driven out of the neighborhood and someone mentioned 10 black churches that were in the neighborhood are no longer there. Well, one "church" on my street died out  because everyone was over the age of 90.  Another church around the corner, the screaming ladies church, they sold their building because their crowd of screamy ladies was getting smaller. I attend one of the few desegregated churches in the neighborhood. Right now the demographic of the 5:30 mass is well, gay, and evenly black and white with a few asians and latinos sprinkled in.
The Help's church is also desegregated. Yes predominately white, but there are Africans, from Africa there. There are also South Asians from IDK Pakistan/India. A buncha Chinese people go there too.
You know what is great about a desegregated church? A wonderful reminder of heaven and the diversity of the body of Christ. Also we worship a triune god, not our culture as some ethnic churches may stray and do.
So yes, there are fewer black churches. Good. Lets have Christian churches instead.

A Good Compline Spoiled by Praise Music

We're going to give a church one more chance. The Help and I are seeking a church we can worship at together. His landlords suggested a CANA church and so since one was in walking distance, we walked this sunday to one. Unfortunately they were without a priest, so that was a problem right there. So there was a bit of free form. There was a program that had things that appeared straight out of the Book of Common Prayer. I really like the BoCP. Yet in between BCP parts there was ad-libbing. I dislike ad-libbing in worship. It's a style thing, nothing theological and that's where the Help and I depart in worship. I like my prayers time tested by at least several decades if not hundreds of years. He likes the personalization and timeliness, blah, blah, blah (I love him) and really G-d hears all prayers.
So I muddled through the break out prayer groups where we were to discuss what was on our hearts and have the small group pray for us. You know, as many years that I was a Baptist, I managed to avoid this sort of thing. As a Episcopalian that sort of thing wasn't done at the churches I attended. And as a Catholic, I'm really really ok with having the priest in charge, less work for me.
The second half was better it was like compline. I love compline. Yet the other matter was that a lot of the music came from the past 15 years, P&W music. The Help dislikes modern worship music. Me, not too much of a fan as when it is sung the male voices seem hard to hear and it sounds like a young women's choir. I love hearing male voices, strong male voices. Only in one song did I hear the male voice strongly enough.
We'll give it another chance, when the priest has arrived.

I've become that woman

When I was a snarky teen, I and my friend Tracy made fun of those women in our differing churches, who overcome with emotion would sway and carry on in church. stand jump all that stuff associated with gettin caught up with the holy spirit. Well that crossed my mind in church as the cantor went into the second part of his negro spiritual melody. I can't really remember what the earlier part of the melody was, but the second part was "I don't feel no ways tired" (hear on YouTube if unfamiliar). And something began to well up inside of me. I wanted to sway, stand and just open myself up to the song and G-d's grace or whatever, I can't really explain it. Tears of joy did make it to the corners of my eyes and I did clap loudly at one point. The teens behind me, who hadn't really sat quiet snickered at my outburst.
So it has come full circle, I have been the teen, now I am that woman.

Don't make me turn around

Okay I was sitting in a spot where I heard two gentlemen yakking away during service. Now it would have been okay if they were doing a better job at whispering, but no they weren't. I really debated about turning around and giving a nasty look. If you need to ask, the men were above the age of 30 and below 80, so they should have known better than providing a play by play of what's going on.
Oh, I also need to mention that there are a few mucky-mucks who attend the Church of the Really, Really, Blond People, so that was the subject of the conversation, where Gentleman A was pointing out who was who to Gentleman B.

Heps, who did steps, aren't stepping anymore they're doing choreography

Choreography.
That's the word that stays in my head when a long while ago Roland got a bunch of folks from the CotRRBP and the CotGL (both Episcopal) to attend... you know I don't have an alternative name for Holy Cross (Orthodox). Anyway, Ronald briefly explained the choreography so that we wouldn't get hit by a hot thurible.
There is a fair amount of optional choreography in worship. Of course, this does not trump music that is in common with the various traditions I run into as I dance along the theological fence. But I do wonder why does one bend the knee at this point of the Nicene Creed and why genuflect at various points, or bow at others? I'm really wondering now that I've just noticed, yes, just noticed that there are no crucifixes (savior on a stick) in the procession nor anywhere to be seen. Where the &%$!@ is my Lord dying for my salvation! What I thought was the crucifix was actually a really ornate cross. I thought I was bowing before the reminder of the sacrifice and symbol of G-d's love. Beh.

I'm not going to church today

Woke up feeling not so great with the tummy, but now I've eaten and feel a tad bit better, but still not feeling like getting dressed & biking to G'town. Besides I did drag myself to Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Suffering yesterday. If I just got the converting to Catholicism over with, my weekends would be so much more simpler.
Also this week I'm going to an Orthodox Church with Dr. So N Soh (Roland), so just not feeling the deep need to go to the Church of the Really, Really Blond People today. And today would be the screamy baby service. Nope. Not going. Yes, there is the 5pm service but I'm guessing my natural laziness will kick in and keep me home.