those mennies...

So I'm working this summer with a Mennonite organization called Sharing With Appalachian People. Every since I heard about it, I expected it to be a very good and rewarding job. I also was very apprehensive. We host volunteer groups and do home repair projects. I've been here for two weeks, and the first group of volunteers arrived tonight. When we held a little orientation meeting the group, the Location Coordinators (my bosses) encouraged them to do some journaling. I decided after that I would finally sit down and start blogging about SWAP, which I've been planning to do since I arrived.

One of the things that definitely makes this experience very interesting is that my faith is very different from all of my coworkers. The majority of them are Mennonite. Keith and Charlene, the Location Coordinators, have Mennonite background, but now attend a Pentecostal Church of God. One coworker is not Mennonite, like myself, but seems to me to be a Southern Baptist type (she doesn't associate herself with a particular denomination, but that's what her religious behavior reminds me of.) And here I sit, a liberal Presbyterian Meher Baba lover that, when makes it to church, goes to a Unitarian Universalist one. I knew getting into this, that it would be a very religious and spiritual job (part of the reason I was interested in it) and I also knew it would be different from anything I've experienced before. But I was never really sure what quite to expect.

But despite these differences, one thing that I've noticed is that there are a few commonalities as well. And those commonalities just so happen to be things that are most important in my faith. The people I'm living with, working with, and interacting with use terms and language I've never used or try not to. Things like "eternal damnation," "born again," and a very extensive use of "Father" for God. The latter of which I'm used to to an extent, but they use it quite frequently and I try to use more inclusive language.

I'll elaborate with examples. Last Sunday, I went to church with everyone at the Church of God up the road. I was honestly a bit uncomfortable worshiping there. There was so much focus on sin and hell. Hell was a more common topic than grace - something I'm not used to and am opposed to. However, there were a few things I did appreciate. The main one being that everyone in the congregation called each other brother and sister. That was a habit I tried to get myself into years ago at camp, but it faded after a while. I love the feeling of community and comradeship it creates within their congregation. But for me, I would extend the use of brother and sister to those that "aren't saved." They use it to remind themselves that they are all one in Christ. I would use it more widely to remind us that we are all one in this Earth. What I surely wasn't used to, and honestly don't really buy, even though I witnessed it right in front of my face, is a lot of the hooting and hollering and practically speaking in tongues that happened in this church. At one point, people went to the front of the church to be prayed for. As the pastor was praying for one woman, her mouth was just running and running and I couldn't understand I single word. Then her body began shaking and she nearly fell to the floor. I still don't know what I think of this. It's really just something else. But another thing I did appreciate was during Sunday School, the leader made one point that whenever we come to God, we must free our minds and spirits of everything else going on in our lives. I like this because I agree, and I found it especially interesting because I very recently just read about Baba making the exact same point. The paths, the worship, the prayer, is so very different - but that one point was exactly the same. And that point is the most important aspect of that Sunday school and lesson and of that particular message of Baba. I dig that.

On Friday night, our neighbor Randy, who is a preacher and a business partner with Keith, came and spoke to us. He isn't the typical preacher I would be a fan of, but again, I appreciate to similarities more than I criticize the differences. (Which it took me a few days to get to that attitude, I'll admit.) One of the first things I noticed is his obvious passion and love for God, which I admire and love witnessing. When he opened in prayer, and every other time he prayed, almost every other word was "God" or "Jesus" or something along those lines. He spoke so quickly, I was almost annoyed by it. But then I made a connection. His prayer reminded me of Baba telling to keep God's name (whatever it may be) on your heart and have your heart and mind always be saying God's name. Randy's heart and mind, and mouth, were clearly repeating God's name. When Randy got to speaking, he spoke mostly of being born again. He told the story of when he was saved and when he was born again and proclaimed that everyone must be born again to go to heaven. When left at that, I disagree on many levels. But as he continued, he said "maybe you don't call it born again - but whatever you call it - everyone should have a time in their lives when God transforms them." Now that I can handle. I was easily reminded of two specific moments in my life when God certainly provoked a change in me. I cherish those moments and recognize and appreciate God's presence in my life before and after those moments, but I would never say I was born again. But once I got past my stubborn disapproval of that term - I appreciated Randy's message.

So far, I've certainly already changed spiritually a lot. I can see that I have - but I can't quite say how. We shall see...