Snowstorm

No church this week... we kind of got snowed in. We were surprised to suddenly have another snowstorm, and the roads were completely slick and icy. According to every since news station, countless churches had closed their morning services, so Bradley and I took that as a hint that we needed to take this week off. Sorry to disappoint!

Church #30: Springdale Nazarene

1. Who attended? Bradley and Erica.

2. CHURCH HOP RANKINGS:
How welcome did you feel at this church?
1: I was so uncomfortable and/or offended that I did not stay to the end of services.
10: This church was welcoming and thought-provoking. I would recommend that others experience this church.

ERICA: 7-8.
BRADLEY: Around a 7, for it's exceptional music.

3. Picture(s) of the church

4. Name/location of the church:
Springdale Nazarene
11177 Springfield Pike
Cincinnati, OH 45246
http://springdalenazarene.org

5. Was it recommended to Church Hop?
Yes! A while ago! Someone I know through Flickr.com suggested we visit the church she grew up in.

6. Time/duration of services:
11am--noon.

7. What type of religion did the church cater to?
Church of the Nazarene.

8. Who did you meet?
I am really slacking on this part, aren't I? We need to stop going so late-- it's easier to stick around afterwards when you're not thinking about lunch.

9. If applicable, scans of handouts, tracts, etc

10. Church Hopper’s personal experience with the church, additional details:

ERICA: I was really, really surprised by this church. Whatever expectations I had when I went in, they were exceeded. I gave this church a 7-8 as far as feeling welcome goes, because we had to hunt down a person handing out programs (we went in a different door), but otherwise they made it very clear that visitors were welcome in their church.

The music was amazing-- truly. Their big, energetic choir belted it out with passion and they had a full orchestra (I couldn't see their faces, but I'm sure they were into it too). There was an amazing male soloist who was obviously singing his heart out, and it was a beautiful thing to be a part of.

The sermon was interesting and engaging, and the pastor was articulate. (Out of 30 churches now, how many times have I used that word?! I need a thesaurus.) The church itself was big and gorgeous (although I was dying to see the stained glass behind the projector screen, but I never got the chance). The auditorium was huge but filled quickly. The congregation seemed mostly older but I didn't feel alienated.

It was just a good experience, being there. I loved the part when they brought the "UPWARDS" kids to the stage-- cheerleaders and basketball players-- something like 350 kids in all-- and had them sing a song. Very cute and heartstrings-pully. And the whole thing still ended up being a little shorter than most of our recent hops-- it came and passed so quickly.

BRADLEY: This church blew me away.

So Erica and I got dressed in our sweaters and such, and went out in search of this church. We were driving through a very nice area, eying the small churches along the way. We scanned each marquee to see if it was ours, but no luck. Then we both looked up on this massive, gigantic church. Maybe it was just the front, but this thing looked huge. And yet, upon entering, people were doing the same thing as normal. Offering hugs and greetings to there fellow church goers.

Erica and I found some seats near the side, kind of close. After scoring programs, they welcomed to the stage the musical talent. And I gotta tell 'ya, they were absolutely amazing. A full band, complete with brass and string, not to mention the 30+ member choir. It just blew me away. They started a few songs, all better than the next. It was around this time when a soloist came up on the stage.

This man was amazing!

He hit each note with soul and power, leaving me wanting more. It was just a fantastic thing to be a part of. The crowd was cheering, and everyone was happy to be worshiping together.

It was a little after that settled down, when the announced the church's basketball team. They had over 350 players, and a gazillion helpers. After a few minutes of loading them onto the stage, they talked about mission programs and numbers, finally ending with a song, sung by the kids. It was all very cute, but very hectic.

Then the pastor came out. This was the only part that didn't amaze me. Usually I talk about how much I live the pastor or preacher tying in personal stories with the sermon. It brings a more, "real life" feel to things. Well, I found out that you can go to the other side of the spectrum with this. He related a little too much for my taste. He wasn't bad, but he would constantly pause and repeat words. I know it's for effect, but it really looses that effect after the 6th or 7th time.

This was a smart, and very spectacular church.

*****
ALSO! We haven't had a thank you card in a while, and this week we received one from Full Gospel Assembly (last week's church).

The inside reads: Erica & Bradley-- It was so nice you came and visited our church. We really enjoyed having you. It was great meeting you both, and we hope you will come again. Jesus loves you very much. God bless. Full Gospel Assembly

Church #29: Full Gospel Assembly (Loveland)

1. Who attended? Bradley and Erica.

2. How welcome did you feel at this church?

ERICA: 7.
BRADLEY: 5, for it's length

3. Pictures of the church: Okay, I screwed up this week. I only remembered one picture this time, and I'm lucky even to have that. AND the church doesn't have a website so I can't steal one. Use your imagination. It looked like a church.

4. Name/location of the church:
Full Gospel Assembly
11850 Lebanon Road
Loveland, Ohio 45140

5. Was it recommended to Church Hop? No, it's on our way to our grandmother's.

6. Time/duration of services: 10:45am until somewhere near 1pm.

7. What type of religion does the church cater to? Um. Even Wikipedia was clueless on this one-- can anyone lend a land here? It was Christian... that's all I have for ya.

8. Who did you meet? Okay, this is why I usually write responses on Sunday, right after services. There was one woman who was exceedingly welcoming and nice... I believe her name was Cindy.

9. If applicable, scans of tracts/handouts/etc. We never got a program and we couldn't find one on the way out. Nothin' doing.

10. Church Hoppers' personal experience with the church, additional details:

ERICA: As you can see, I dropped the ball on this one. I forgot to take a picture, which must have been bad luck from the beginning. We couldn't find a handout, either, and there's no website. So I'm not a lot of help this week.

Full Gospel Assembly was... interesting. A heavy focus on music-- and I was astounded to see so much GOOD music. Seriously. We started off with one hymn, all together, and then we were told we could sit. After that was a full hour of various churchy duets, solos, full band numbers... you name it. There were guitar solos, multiple keyboards/pianos, and soloists-- mostly older woman-- who can seriously belt out a note. It was really quite dumbfounding.

Unfortunately, the sermon completely lost me. It was the driest to date, and probably the longest. It was very teach-y, speaking to specific scripture and elaborating on what it meant-- like an adult Sunday school, but I believe their actual Bible study was at a different time. (By which I mean that I don't think we accidentally stumbled into an actual adult Sunday school, though I know they exist.) Here's the thing, though-- I seemed to be the only person having a hard time paying attention. Most everyone else sat there attentively, for which I commend them. Maybe it's an acquired taste, but I did not enjoy it.

So the church balanced out for me. I really loved the first hour but the second one left me uninspired (though I honestly tried to listen and take it in) and unaffected.

Brad: Well, Erica and I visited another very, very long church.

When we first got there, we saw that their weren't a lot of people at this church. We had to wait in the car a few minutes before we saw where everyone else was going in. Upon entering, I saw the normal things-people greeting other people in the lobby. The previous service was still running, so sis and I just walked around until things were ready. We came in, and the band was setting up on the huge stage. The church looked very nice, and clean too.

The beginning was ok, although I still have to mention how long it was. I was waiting for us to sit down, but after every song somebody would lead us into a prayer. It all took so long before the sermon, it really made me loose interest, despite by best efforts to keep up with it. There was a lot to take in too, the band was amazing, but overall overpowering.

Then came the sermon, which I found a little dry for my taste. I guess the preacher gave a more "classic" style sermon, because he went on to quote, then define a scriptural passage.

All in all, with the exception of it's length, this wasn't a bad church.