3 /5 Atypical Churchgoer: Overall: For those looking for a traditional service with hymns, this service is for you! The organist provided a great sound for the hymns and the people were very kind and welcoming!
Welcomeness: Unfortunately, I arrived at 11am, which was 10 minutes later than the service started and at that time, there were no apparent greeters, however, there could have been greeters had I been on time. During service, however, there was a meet & greet and many people were extremely welcoming!
Environment (What it looked like): The sanctuary had a patriarchal, town hall feel with dim lighting, colorful stain glass windows, and comfortable padded pews that were 35-45% filled with congregation. The balcony extended to the sides of the sanctuary.
Atmosphere in church (the shared feelings from the building):
The atmosphere inside the sanctuary felt peaceful and relaxing. The pews and organ in front of the sanctuary made it feel like a traditional church.
Time of Service: 10:50am - 12:10pm
Worship Music: The worship music consisted primarily of hymns led by an organ for instrumentation, which provided a great sound that added to a strong traditional service. The songs were dispersed throughout the service giving each section of the service a chance for the audience to participate and respond through song.
- category: hymns
- instrumentation type: organ
- quality: large organ in front of church provided grandiose sound
- crowd engagement: Many if not most of the congregation participated in singing as the songs chosen were a great choice for congregation.
- duration: 9 songs throughout service
Sermon
The message, which was highly informational and educational revolving around US and SDA history, was not in the form of a sermon but rather specific readings that were embedded throughout the service.
Service:
The service was more traditional with hymns intertwined with an introduction, meet & greet, Old Testament and New Testament readings, and additional readings based on theme of the day. It was pleasant, informational, and educational. The peaceful and relaxing service felt scripted at times as various people read the monologue printed in the bulletin. The program was well-planned as the service followed the aligned theme of the national holiday. Additional readings included historical anecdotes of the United States of America as well as the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
Demographics
- ages: majority 60+
- family oriented: very few children if any
- attendance: 95-120
- single ethnicity / multiple: multi-cultural
- dress / attire: business dress / business-casual
