We Go to a Church that Looks Familiar (with bonus statistics!)

Santa Rosa Seventh Day Adventist Church
If the photos look familiar, don’t worry, this isn't a repeat of last week. This is a new post. (I mean, it’s a new post if you’re looking at this this week and not a whole lot later, because that’s how time works.) Last week we went to the Sunday service of New Life Fellowship, a congregation that meets in the Santa Rosa Seventh Day Adventist Church building, and this week we went to the Saturday (Sabbath) worship services of the Adventist Church.

We quickly noticed one thing that the two services had in common (aside from the building). No coffee. Strangely enough, both churches would normally have coffee (and possibly snacks), but nobody had signed up to prepare and serve at either church.  

Scott, who was teaching the Sabbath School Bible Study said he didn’t miss the coffee. He said that coffee was something you have to acquire a taste for, and it was his observation that if you had to acquire a taste for it, it usually wasn’t a good thing. He used beer and wine as examples. Adventists don’t do alcohol, but they do coffee...but not this week.

A cheery older woman greeted us when we entered the church. She asked where we were from, and we told her we were staying in Santa Rosa but about to move to Fresno. She expressed disappointment about that. (People from Sonoma County often offer condolences when we say we’re moving to Fresno.) She told us about the two adult Sabbath School classes: a quarterly denominational study and a Bible study. We went to the Bible study, which met in the back of the sanctuary, along with more than a dozen others.

As we walked down the hallway, a number of people greeted us, some with “Good morning” and some with “Happy Sabbath.”

The class had begun studying the book of James the week before, and they were still discussing the first chapter. Many class members added their thoughts to the discussion, particularly about of verse 13, which is about temptation. One man talked about being tempted while he was in basic training, when they had more to do than hours to do it in. He said it was back in the 1980’s, and recruits were assigned slightly fewer items of clothing...including underwear...than they needed between laundry days. So there was a temptation to steal clean underwear, and underwear theft was rampant. Phil said he was sure Jesus would have resisted the temptation, but he couldn’t say the same for himself.

We talked about verse 22, “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only,” and a woman admitted that there was a time when she wouldn’t read the Bible because she knew she would have to act on it. She said that when she did read Scripture, her mind would often wander. But attending Bible study at church had helped her learn from Scripture, she said. I so appreciate when people are honest about their real struggles in such discussion times.

I was watching the time as the class went on, because it was getting close to 11:00 am, when the worship service was scheduled to begin, and at about 10:55, the class closed in prayer. I helped move the circle of chairs into rows, and we found our seats for the service.

Another couple sat in our row, and a man greeted them with, “So, is this your first time here? Are you visitors?”

They laughed, because the man was just joking; the couple were regulars who had apparently been away for a few weeks. What I found funny was that we, first time visitors, were right there.

Right about then, the couple seated in front of us did turn around to greet us. Mitch and Daphne introduced themselves and asked about us. We asked how long they had been a part of the church, and they said they’d “always been Adventists,” but they used to go to church in Sebastopol. They started attending the Santa Rosa church fifteen years ago because of the youth programs available for their kids.

I asked what they appreciated about the church, and Daphne said, “The mission of this church is to reach out to the community,” and she appreciates the outreach the church does. And she said, “This church meets our needs.”  

Mitch said, “That’s pretty much it.” (The couple has been married for 33 years and seem to have gotten to a place where they’re comfortable speaking for each other.)

The service started a few minutes after the hour. Pastor Don Smith greeted the congregation by appreciating the previous weekend’s rain storms, but expressing concern for those dealing with the after effects of storms and flooding. (There was mention of a tree that fell on three cars at the nearby Adventist college.)

The first song was introduced by Associate Pastor Krystalynn Martin as being “straight from the Good Book.” In Sabbath School someone had mentioned “we don’t sing a lot of traditional hymns here,” so we weren’t surprised when the morning’s music was mainly choruses.

During the prayer time, people were invited to come forward, if they wished, or to kneel, or to stay in their seats. Krystalyn addressed “Heavenly Father, Abba, Papa,” and included prayer for the morning’s speaker, who had been the pastor of the church fifteen years earlier.

After the prayer, Pastor Smith introduced  Bryan Aalborg, who would be preaching. Pastor Smith said that the year 2000 had been a real “pivot point” for the congregation. The congregation wanted to have a “relevant trajectory.”  A new pastor had come, a man who “stirred the pot” and was crucial to changes that occurred at the time. This was the morning’s speaker, Bryan Aalborg.

Before Pastor Bryan began his message, he said that credit for changes within the congregation belonged with the godly people who sought to make changes. He said it had been a time of transition and “fortunately, in the Adventist community, we have options.” Bryan said he was an East Coaster, and this church was his first real experience living as a Californian. At the end of his two and a half year stay, he discovered Yosemite and loved it -- but he had already accepted a call to North Carolina (“God tricked me”).

He went on to share a message about God’s glory, starting with Ephesians 3: 14 - 21 and exploring the themes of glory throughout Scripture, from Exodus to Isaiah to John to the Revelation. He encouraged people to remember the teaching of Scripture that God always has greater things in store for us than we could ever imagine.

After the service, I had a chance to talk to Pastor Bryan about the nature of the transitions the church made during his pastorate. The primary change they made was in worship, from the organ and hymns to a worship team with choruses. Music does seem to be a flashpoint for controversy in many churches, but it seems the church survived that time of conflict and is continuing to prosper.

The gracious welcome of the congregation at Santa Rosa Adventist Church did make for a “Happy Sabbath.”

Statistics

Service Length: 1 hour 18 minutes

Sermon Length: 50 minutes

Visitor Treatment: We were greeted by multiple people and recognized as visitors. Several people asked our names, where we were from, and expressed regret we were moving (flatteringly, they seemed to want us to come back). On the other hand, about half of the people who engaged in conversation asked our name but didn't offer any information about themselves. We filled out a visitor card and put it in the offering (as directed on the card).

Followup by Tuesday Morning: none

Our Rough Count: 142

Probable Ushers’ Count: 160

Snacks: none

Musicians: Keyboard (man)
Acoustic guitars (3 women)
Drums (man)
Mandolin (man)
Bass (man)
Vocals (man, woman)

Songs: "Revelation Song"
"How He Loves Us"
"The Heart of Worship"

Miles to Church: 1

Church Website: http://santarosasda.com/
Guest WiFi Access: no
Suit/Tie Count: 6 (plus 2 bowties, so bonus points)

We also attended The Redeemed Life Church on Sunday. We wrote about the experience in 2015 when we were visiting former youth group members, so I won’t go into detail about this visit, just give a few statistics.

Service Length: 1 hour 4 minutes

Sermon Length: 16 minutes

Visitor Treatment: We weren't really visitors, but Dean's brother and sister-in-law were. They were welcomed warmly and we saw them talking to different people (not just our nephew and family!) before and after the worship service.

Our Rough Count: 16

Probable Ushers’ Count: 16

Snacks: coffee, candy

Musicians: acoustic guitar (man)
Todd showed us his new banjo and played it for just a moment; his guitar was at the ready but not used

Songs: "Come, Now is the Time to Worship/Cheers Theme"
"A Shield About me/Take me Home"
"Morning Has Broken"
"In Your Eyes"
"His Eye is on the Sparrow" (John Denver style)
"How Deep the Father's Love"
"We Shall Overcome"

Miles to Church: 2

Church Website: http://www.theredeemedlifechurch.com/
Guest WiFi Access: no

Suit/Tie Count: 0

9 Kauai Churches and a Mystery

What with the state of Hawaii being made up of  islands that are miles and miles apart, we only saw churches on the island of Kauai, but there was still a wide variety of building styles among them.

Kapa'a United Church of Christ

Kapa'a First Hawaiian Church

Kapa'a Baptist Church

Kapa'a Missionary Church

All Saints Episcopal Church, Kapa'a

Christ Memorial Episcopal Church, Kilaua

Calvary Chapel North Shore Kauai

Wai'oli Hui'ia Church, Hanalei

Lighthouse Christian Fellowship, Kilauea

And a mystery:
Is this a church?
There's no sign, but the address is listed as a church.
We never saw people here.

University Baptist Church and Fairbanks Seventh Day Adventist

University Baptist and Fairbanks Seventh Day Adventist Churches

Fairbanks, Alaska

Before this trip began and as we’ve made our way on this adventure, we’ve told people we would be going to a church in every state. A common response has been, “Including Alaska and Hawaii?” We’ve always assured them that we do consider the 49th and 50th states to be included as a part of “every state.” That is not a question we heard in Fairbanks, Alaska. People in Alaska are well aware of the misconceptions people in the lower 48 have about their state. Apparently, since most maps of the United States put Alaska in its own little square next to Hawaii, many people assume Alaska is an island too. Many people in the contiguous states are unaware that you can drive to Alaska. (We flew. We were well aware we could drive, but it would have taken too much time, and it would have involved foreign travel during this All American Trip.)

An interesting factoid we learned about the state is that it consistently ranks low in polls of states for church attendance (usually bottom ten). I asked Gary Cox, Pastor of University Baptist Church in Fairbanks why he thought that was the case. He said, “There’s not a cultural tradition of church attendance as there is in the South. It is not the expected thing to do. Also, people in Alaska often have a fiercely independent spirit. There are many atheists and agnostics.”

On the plus side, someone mentioned, that means that the people in church in Alaska want to be there. Especially when it is forty degrees below zero outside, and they could be comfy on their warm couches inside. Everyone in the pews on those mornings considers church a high priority.

We were not in Alaska during those cold, sunless days of winter. We arrived in Fairbanks a couple of days after the summer solstice. Most days of our stay we not only enjoyed more than twenty hours of sun but also twenty-plus hours of temperatures in the 70’s. I asked someone whether church attendance was lower in the summer or winter. and he said that people on such beautiful days might be more likely to stay outside. (Of course, looking at it another way, people know that even if they spend an hour or two at church, there will still be lots of sunny hours left in the day.)

We came to Fairbanks because one of my former youth group students offered us the opportunity to stay in his house. Stephen came to Alaska when he attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. When he was looking for a church, he tried University Baptist, which had a very active College and Career Group. (“College” and “Career” are both represented in the group, which has a twenty year age span.) He soon made connections and felt at home there.

I asked him is there was anything else that drew him to the church. He said that when he goes to a church, he tries to get to know the senior pastor. He figures that if he can to get to know the pastor, the church is small enough for him to get involved.

The evening after we arrived, we had dinner with Stephen, his parents (who are also friends or ours, visiting from Concord, California), and some of Stephen’s friends from church. I asked Whiley, one of his church friends, what she appreciated about University Baptist. She answered, “There is so much I could say about what I love about this church.” She talked extensively about the sense of community provided by the church. Her husband, Josh, added that he saw people from the church three or four times a week. He said that community was especially appreciated during the long winter months.

We attended an adult Sunday School class before the Sunday morning worship service. The class, studying the Second Epistle of John,  was taught by Josh’s father, Wally.  That morning the topic was how to deal with heretical teachers. There was a lively discussion with interaction from regulars and guests (like us!).  People were still talking when a man came through the hallways ringing a bell to let people know it was almost time for worship. Members of the choir departed first, before the class formally closed.

As we went to worship, a number of people introduced themselves. As the worship service began, I was impressed that there were more men in the choir than women. (This is often not the case.) Laura, who’s  been the choir director for almost 30 years, later told me that she chooses the music for the service based on the Scriptures. Sometimes she went with hymns and sometimes choruses and usually a mixture of both. She said that as she leads the choir, the goal is to remember that they’re “performing for an audience of One”.

Pastor Cox preached on chapter 8 of Hosea, and when we returned for the Sunday evening service he preached on Hosea chapter 9. He said that though the prophet Hosea was speaking to the people of Israel, we can receive it as a message to America.

We attended another church in our time in Fairbanks, the Seventh Day Adventist Church (not surprisingly, on Saturday). Soon after we arrived we were invited to stay after church for a lunch for visitors. Quite a number of visitors were there that morning; we appeared to be two of twenty people from out of state (at least six of those other visitors were from Canada).

Before the service started, a video about a Seventh Day Adventist work in Fiji played on the screen in the front of the worship center. The denomination has established a health clinic to help with diet and prevention issues. During the service the youth of the church made a presentation about a recent service project at a Christian camp further in the interior of Alaska. The congregation was given another opportunity for service for the next day. A couple with health issues needed help clearing trees and brush on their property about an hour away. People were invited to be a part of the work team. It sounded like breakfast would be provided as well as the opportunity to keep the cleared trees for firewood.

Alaskans may be fiercely independent, but from what we saw, many people there need and appreciate the community a good church affords.

Statistics

University Baptist Church

11:00 am service
Service Length: 1 hour 5 minutes
Sermon Length: 30 minutes

Visitor Treatment: We were greeted by several people when we came in. There were visitor cards in the pew backs, which we filled out, but there was no mention of what to do with them.

Followup by Tuesday Morning: none

Our Rough Count: 115
Probably Ushers' Count: 135
Snacks: coffee and hot water for tea or hot chocolate were available in the lobby before and after Sunday School
Musicians: piano (woman), percussion (man), choir (9 men, 8 women), choir director (woman), organ (woman)

Songs: "Come, Now is the Time to Worship"

"Holy, Holy, Holy"

"I Stand in Awe"

"Joyful, Joyful, we Adore Thee"

"Here I am to Worship"

"Come, Let us Worship and Bow Down"

"Before the Throne of God Above"

"On Our Knees" (choir)

"Worthy of Worship"

Distance to Church: 9 miles
Miles from Start: 20,788 (5,092 by air)
Total 2016 Miles: 20,492 (5,092 by air)
Church Website: http://www.universitybaptistchurch.net/

6:00 pm service

Service Length: 1 hour 16 minutes
Sermon Length: 42 minutes

Visitor Treatment: No particular notice was taken of visitors, but the pastor had heard about our journey and, after talking with Dean just before the service began, asked us to share for a few minutes. Several people talked to us afterward.

Snacks: none
Musicians: piano (woman), organ (woman), singers (1 woman, 1 man), worship leader (woman), percussion (man)

Songs: "At Calvary"

"Come, Thou Fount"

"O, What a Wonder it is"

"Amen"

"Draw me Close"

"People Need the Lord" (piano solo)

Fairbanks Seventh Day Adventist Church

Service Length: 1 hour 29 minutes
Sermon Length: 21 minutes

Visitor Treatment: Visitors were asked to raise their hands and introduce themselves when a mic was passed (this seemed not to be the norm). After this, a woman named Gail invited guests to a lunch after worship, followed by a trip to Fairbanks' visitor center/museum. We didn't see any way to keep track of visitors, although that may have happened at the visitors' potluck.

Followup by Tuesday Morning: none

Our Rough Count: 107
Probably Ushers' Count: 125
Snacks: lunch after worship for visitors
Musicians: piano (woman), bass (man), acoustic guitar (man), vocals (3 women)

There was also a man who sang a solo

Songs: "This is my Father's World"

"I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy"

"Speak, O Lord"

"Majesty"

"Tell it to Every Kindred and Nation"

"Sweet Hour of Prayer"

"To the Foot of the Cross I Must go" (solo)
Distance to Church: 10 miles
Miles from Start: 20,748 (5,092 by air)
Total 2016 Miles: 20,452 (5,092 by air)
Church Website: http://www.fairbanksadventistchurch.org/