January 26, 2009

Church Experiment #4: Clifton United Methodist

The Methodists know how to do church. Sixty minutes and out the door. Wham, bam, thank you I am! (That is what you call bad Christian humor.) [I thought it was funny.]

Clifton United Methodist Church (www.cliftonumc.com) caught my attention for a couple of reasons. First, it is located in my neighborhood, and I want to make sure I visit at least one neighborhood church every two months. It was nice to see familiar faces from the community.

Second, Clifton United Methodist appeared to be a pretty liberal church. They have a female lead pastor, which is unique. (Unfortunately, she wasn’t there on the Sunday of my visit.) Also, they claim to be very welcoming to the gay community. Their website states, “The congregation is a very diverse group, reflecting the breadth of our welcoming statement. Truly all are welcome in this community of faith, having been a welcoming and safe harbor for gay and lesbian people of faith for many years.”

After three traditional, (mostly) conservative churches, I thought it would be nice to mix things up a bit.

To finish reading about this experience or any of the reflections from my 52 visits, please purchase the full book here.