March 23, 2009

Church Experiment #12: Christ Church Savannah

This week’s experience is divided into two distinct parts. But we’ll get to that in a minute. First, some background:

When I began the Church Experiment, I committed to visiting a handful of megachurches led by popular pastors. I couldn’t just fly all over the country for a church service, so I also tried to identify churches within driving distance of Cincinnati. Three churches I planned visit before the year ended were Mars Hill in Michigan (Rob Bell), Willow Creek in Chicago (Bill Hybels), and North Point in Georgia (Andy Stanley). All three pastors took this Sunday off. A fourth option, Southeast Christian in Louisville, is a huge church, but their pastor also took a break.

Perfect.

So, I decided to just get in my car and drive. It was the week of my spring break, so I didn’t have to be back in Cincinnati until March 30. I figured there was a church east of the Mississippi that I was meant to visit this week, so I took a leap of faith that I would somehow stumble through its doors on Sunday.

In addition to my search for a church, I also decided to take my time, forgo any structured plan, and just drive around experiencing different people and places.

The overall trip was extremely meaningful, but Sunday was all about Savannah, Georgia. Once I realized I was heading in that direction, I thought it would be fun to visit (I had never been). And once I got into town, I found the most amazing church building I have ever seen (the architecture in Savannah is gorgeous). And once I found the church, I learned about their Sunday night program called Service of Compline.

That, my friends, is why I ended up in Savannah, Georgia. Out of the hundreds of thousands of churches east of the Mississippi, God wanted me to experience Compline. But that is the second part of my story. Let’s begin with part one.

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