A Special Church Visit

I recently visited the little side chapel of the local Methodist church for a Sunday morning worship service. It was my second time attending a worship service there, and I once again was able to understand approximately 2% of what was said throughout the entire service. It was a Haitian Creole service, and it was wonderful.

There is something special about experiencing the musical form of worship in an unfamiliar language with people of another culture. Though not a new experience for me, it was refreshing. It was vibrant. It felt so genuine. It revealed things about what I consider to be “normal worship” that are possibly less than ideal, making me wish I could incorporate them into my regular worship experiences at church.

Despite the joy I found in being there, it was sobering to look around at the mostly young-to-middle-aged people and realize it was likely that every single person in that chapel was in the midst of some daunting life challenges. Probably none of them have been in Fort Morgan for more than three years. The challenges they face are things which I can hardly relate to. Yes, I’ve had plenty of challenges, but none that have forced me to go to other countries and struggle to find a place to stay and constantly adjust to be able to work legally. I’ve never faced a day-to-day challenge of wondering if government activities might cause me to have a life-altering predicament that day or lived with perpetual stress about potential news of new traumas affecting loved ones in a now-distant place.

Most notable in my brief conversation with the pastor after the service was his comment that I was one of two non-Haitians who have visited a worship service with them in the past year or so that they have been meeting. It was noticed and, apparently, quite appreciated. I mention this not to pat myself on the back for doing a “good deed,” but to highlight the sometimes simple opportunities in front of us to be an encouragement to people around us. That morning, I did hope to be some sort of encouragement, at least to the pastor. But I didn’t realize it would stand out in that way. I’m glad I went, despite the hassle and occasional awkwardness of it all.

This congregation has been welcomed into the chapel space where they are meeting by the long-established Methodist church, which has services in the main building. I appreciate seeing the welcome and support the church has shown to this group. I love that it hasn’t just been a brief courtesy with an end date. One year in, the Haitian church congregation has grown to about three times the size it was the first time I visited several months ago. Leaders of the Methodist church saw the interest and need, and they responded in neighborly fashion, despite the fact I’m sure they could have thought of many reasons not to do so.

If you haven’t done it recently, or maybe if you have never done it, I would highly recommend finding a cross-cultural church opportunity near you sometime. It might turn into a special blessing.