November 16, 2009

Church Experiment #46: Gathering Place Church

It’s interesting. Forty-six weeks into my experiment, I thought I had seen it all. In the process of going back and editing my earlier entries to prepare a manuscript for publication, I noticed it was so cute how I approached those early churches with wide eyes and a bushy tail (my clippers broke last winter).

People danced in church! How scandalous!

I was such an adorable kid.

Those details didn’t mean as much to me by week 46. As I neared the finish line, I was getting more desperate to experience God. This week, I crossed the river into Kentucky to visit The Gathering Place Church (www.gatheringplacechurch.com). Someone recommended it on my blog a few weeks prior. I thought I would be walking into a charismatic church that valued miraculous healings, signs, and wonders. That may be true, but I didn’t witness any evidence during my visit.

I assumed I was in trouble when the first worship song had a line saying, “I am souled out for Jesus.” Yeah, I used the correct spelling. There is nothing more lame than Christians using son instead of sun, souled instead of sold, and so on.

But that was the low point. Things got much better as the service progressed.

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