Tour of Macon Churches: Take 3
I’ve gotten a little behind in writing these, so pardon me, and I’ll be rolling two posts into one.
Christmas Eve I went to my own home church, St. Paul’s Episcopal. My family has been going here as long as I can remember, I’m told longer than 100 years even. I can remember the very first time I acolyted for Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. It was a HUGE deal, a big honor. There would be a procession of 3 or 4 crosses, two torches each, banners, flags, incense thurifer & boat, and we would loop our procession around the pews two or more times before proceeding up the stairs and back up front to sit down. Very high church. Very pretty.
This Christmas Eve I was the only acolyte. The pews were not packed out as they had been in years before. It made me a little sad. I’m not sure how it came to be like this. Not sure if it’s just an aging group of parishoners, or the trend of praise and worship jeans welcome church services. But I love my church. I love how at home I feel.
This whole project is meant for me to explore various churches around town, to see what’s different out there, and I hope I can return to my own church where I might bring some new ideas. It’s also about meeting new people. Seeing other forms of worship. And hoping I can grow personally.
The following Sunday I checked out High Street Unitarian Universalist Church. Now, I was told that this wasn’t their usual service. In fact that seems to be happening to me a lot when I visit churches. It’s either a baptism or something different happening. I’m not sure what was different than usual about this service, but I can tell y’all what was different overall.
I think this church very much appeals to those who like the idea of science and meditation tied in without also feeling too “churchy”. That’s not the best way to describe it I’m sure. A quote in the program was from a scientist. There was a speaker, and there appears to be a guest speaker at each service, this time it was the director of the Middle Georgia library system.
I was also happy to see that recent friends from my neighborhood go here as well as older friends. They had a lovely reception downstairs at the closing of the service with amazing cake and all the coffee one could want.
I think this church is really good for those who might not like going to a church that preaches one absolute way of believing. On their website I can see that one of my former Mercer professors will be there to speak on the Islamic faith, which I think is pretty cool. I also love that they have an active group for social justice within the church.
The Sunday after this one I missed church due to hosting the Georgia Bridal Bash, and the Sunday after that I visited First Presbyterian Church- for the very first time. Tomorrow it’s looking like it’ll be First Baptist.
Love to all y’all,
Molly
