It sits quietly on the outskirts of Atlanta...still welcoming people into it's fold.
When I attended as a child it was a pretty conservative all white church. A suit and tie was worn by every male and dresses by the females... even the kids.
You sat as quietly as you could (if you were a teen) and no one came or went in or out of the service until it was over except for an emergency.
Today I attended as a fifty year old woman with my husband, daughter and my sister and brother. We all met in the balcony...our place of choice when we were young and decided to return to our roots in honor of the 100th year celebration.
Of COURSE the Cottons were fashionably late. My brother who is always on time got there first. My sister who is usually running a few minutes late got there next and "The Cottons" came clomping up the steps well into the service. (Better late than never)
The times "They are a changing." The church is now an equally diverse church. There are Whites, Blacks Latinos and Asians. There are some old timers and there are gratefully many new faces. There are people that seem to be well to do and there are some that seem to be grateful just to have a place to worship.
Just as it was when I was a kid... the balcony was filled with teens. Today it was filled with black and white teens. Today it was filled with old members and new members. Today there were old faces and new faces.
It's a wonderful thing that after 100 years this church is still serving it's community and it's God.
Added to the balcony was a mixing board and a guy running it that looked like a member of ZZ Topp. Minus from the balcony was my Mother who used to sit on the front row with her friends while I sat on the back row with mine eating candy and staring out the arched window to the street below.
It was amazing being back in that church with my siblings and daughter beside me looking out over a packed house of worship. It was comforting to know that the church, even though it is smaller in numbers is still serving it's community. The community now is a mix of middle class and not so middle class. It is a community of racial diversity. And it is a church that stands tall and welcomes ALL into it's doors.
As usual when sitting with your brother and sister...even if you are fifty in a church setting, can be hard when one of them leans over to make a comment or when something happens that you can't over look. This happened to me twice during the service and I could barely make myself stop laughing. At one point I quietly told my daughter "Don't look at me."
At the end of the service there was a presentation by the youth group. They were all African American kids who did an interpretive dance portraying the challenges and choices that young teens have to deal with and make on a daily basis in this new world we are living in.
Halfway through the music quit (modern technology...ain't it grand) but these young people kept right on with their dance and didn't miss a beat. They received a standing ovation...and it was a well deserved one.
Here I was, sitting in the balcony of a church that I started attending in 1960 with an all white conservative congregation to witness teens that were racially diverse but loving the same God I do. They were pouring their young hearts out in front of a standing room only crowd. As these teens took the stage...every kid in the balcony with me stood up and took out their cell phone to record the performance.
That is the true meaning of Christianity and the total purpose of a church..."To serve the Lord and to serve it's flock."
After the service we had a feast in the fellowship hall that I grew up in. There was ham, fried chicken and about 200 side dishes to choose from. There were people from my childhood and there were people I have never met. We all ate side by side and rejoiced together.
It was one of the most satisfying days of my life.
As the minister said in his sermon "Time and technology change but some people never want their church to change... but to grow your church HAS to change."
This church I grew up in HAS changed. It is more diverse and has welcomed many new members and relishes the ones that have remained faithful.
It was a good day...it was a great day. It reminded me once again how lucky I was to grow up in East Point Christian Church and how lucky all these new members are to have a place of worship that has evolved, grown and continues the Lord's work.
I will definitely visit again soon and have already made a couple of new friends.
"And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His Glory and Grace."
