Tour of Macon Churches: Take 1
I recently posted on my personal Facebook page that I was interested in checking out other churches in my area. Not because I’m necessarily unhappy with my own, but because I believe in learning about other people, other stories, and other forms of worship are a large part of this.
Not only that, but I believe in growing my own spiritual journey, and I’m not sure that can be achieved unless I occasionally step out of my comfort zone.
And so I started last Sunday with Centenary Church. I have to say, I’m not sure if their official name is Centenary United Methodist Church- as their Google listing says- or simply Centenary Church as is listed on their website. I could easily find out, but I am typing this at 5:51 am Monday morning and my contacts there are not yet awake. (I’m also not usually up this early but I am operating on espresso and the buzz up getting up early and walking the neighborhood with friends.)
I had been to Centenary once before, but I am realizing it has been a few years because when I visited I was only just getting to know Stacey- someone who has become a dear friend of mine and is one of their ministers.
So I came back after having been in only once before. Centenary is a fairly easy walk from my home, and I crossed Tattnall Square Park and it’s glorious fountain on the way with my kiddos. Something I like about Centenary, and knew about it going in, is how diverse the church is. There are white people, black people, there are gay couples and straight ones- and there were people there seemingly unattached but yet also speaking to those around them.
I’m very used to seeing many white faces when I go to church, I’ve heard it said that church is one of the places we as a society are still very much segregated. I don’t have statistical data to back it up. But it’s something I try to notice when I visit.
The service itself was nice, when I visited before it struck me that they sang a Beatles song at least once in the service. I think this time (this was two Sundays ago) there were more traditional songs, but honestly I was so caught up in the sermon that I don’t remember. The way the service was laid out, as best as I can recall, is that there was a song, a baptism, another song, and then the sermon was laid out in three parts framed by other songs. And the readings were at the beginning as well.
Being Episcopalian, I’m very used to having the readings at the beginning, the Gospel, a somewhat short sermon, and then we have prayers, Communion, and songs all in between as well. And songs to open and close. So I found it interesting that Reverend Tim Bagwell’s sermon was in three parts throughout. I enjoyed his sermon. He spoke on Mary, putting her experiences and framing them in a way to make her seem more relatable. More than just the pious Virgin Mother. Someone who suffered as we do. He also brought up some historical facts regarding what it would have meant for her to become pregnant while betrothed that I didn’t know. That betrothal is more than just engagement- and had Joseph broken off the betrothal this was more serious than just an engagement, that it was a legal term, and Mary likely had not even met Joseph yet.
I very much enjoyed this visit, and everyone was very nice. My kiddos were able to go down to childrens church and were well looked after. They have a “cozy corner” towards the front of the church where kids can sit together on blankets and pillows and color prior to children’s church.
I also really enjoyed seeing so many people I knew, and being able to watch all those that I didn’t simply getting along and speaking to each other. They really seem to treat one another like family.
If you want to visit Centenary they’re located at 1290 College Street across from Mercer University and Tattnall Square Park. Services are at 8:00 am at their Community Breakfast, 11:00 am in the sanctuary and also at 11:00 Nueva Vida offers a Spanish service in the Fellowship Hall.
Stay tuned for take 2 of my tour, in which I manage to visit three different religions in one day- and stumble into the wrong church two days later and get busted by the minister… who, as it turned out, knew me.
Love to all y’all,
Molly
