I'm thinking the key to blogging is keeping it short. I get too ambitious and never have the time to write the long essays I feel like. :(

I'm just coming back from vacation and went in to Chicago to attend Trinity United Church of Christ while I was off. That's Barak Obama's church that he recently resigned from because of some controversies.

Trinity has a beautiful building (though I'm bad enough with directions that I still had a rough time finding it). I found a parking spot 2 blocks away and walked in. The ushers and members were uniformly friendly and helpful. When I say that, I don't mean just polite and professional. They were genuinely friendly.

The church has stained glass windows. In place of the traditional saints there are great African and African American leaders. I didn't recognize them all but picked out Crispus Atticus, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Cinque (from the Amistad trial).

Worship was a wonderful experience and, when the pastor asked people to turn and greet their neighbors I was warmly welcomes by all the people around me. I wasn't the only white face there (though you really had to search to find the others) but didn't feel a bit out of place. It was one of (if not the) warmest and most inviting churches I have ever attended.

The choir was huge, energetic, and dressed in dashikis rather than the robes I'm used to. They didn't just sing, they moved! At one point they were joined by a group of young women in beautiful flowing costumes doing an interpretive dance. Worship was often punctuated by applause, spontaneous cries of appreciation, and several people had ecstatic fits, with loud screaming during the service.

The sermon used the story of Samson to talk about how getting involved in bad relationships can drag you down. It was faithful to the scripture and seemed very appropriate.

My only reservations have to do with my lack of church stamina. Some of the songs seemed to build to a climax, only to keep going and going. Worship was a joyful time but, as we passed the two hour mark, I found my joy starting to wear a little thin. That's what comes of growing up in a tradition where church always lasts an hour, occasionally less, but never more. I think if I attended Trinity more often, I could adjust in a fairly short period of time.

The visit confirmed my suspicion. Despite what the pundits may say, a church that is exuberantly pro-African American is NOT necessarily anti-white, or anti-anybody. What I saw in Trinity was a loving, welcoming faithful group of people working to make their community and their world a better place.

I've discovered another thing. It's apparently impossible for me to write a short blog entry. :(

I'll try again soon!