*The following post is different from others in this series, because I had the experience when I was a much younger person when it occurred.*
One autumn day during my undergrad years, Joe and I were playing hacky sack at a park in Eastpointe. At one point, we decided to go for a walk. Along the way, I found myself needing a restroom. That's when I saw the Eastpointe Assembly of God. It wasn't Sunday or Wednesday, but there were plenty of cars in the parking lot. I stopped in.
When I walked through the door I was met by one of the church members who acted somewhat like a guard. With reservation, he led me to the restroom. On my way out, I could hear a lot of excitement from the auditorium. At the time I wasn't too familiar with the Assemblies of God. The guard explained that they were having a revival. I asked Joe if he would mind sticking around for the experience.
We walked into the sanctuary and sat close to the back row. People sang and danced. They spoke in tongues during moments of prayer. Up to this point, I'd never seen anything like it. Then a middle-aged white man approached the pulpit. He spoke enthusiastically about miracles. He claimed to have seen the blind healed and the dead resurrected. It was a message intended to rouse the faithful. In the midst of it, he casually mentioned that in order for people to be saved, they needed to speak in tongues. Disagreeing strongly, I became fixated on this point.
The worship service was followed by a healing service. This is the first time I'd seen anything like it. The evangelist stood at the front of the sanctuary and people came forward for prayers and healing. I only remember two individuals specifically. The first was an old woman who complained of having trouble seeing. The evangelist laid hands on her, prayed and then asked if she noticed a difference. She said "yes." I did not see happiness on her face. A young woman about 14 or 15 also came forward. She explained that she was having a problem with acne. She felt insecure. The evangelist prayed that she would "notice a difference" in her complexion.
The service ended and we approached the front of the auditorium. I spoke with their youth minister, who explained that most young people in the Assemblies of God did not feel that speaking in tongues was necessary for salvation, but that most older people in the fellowship felt otherwise. There are theological generation gaps in every religious community.
We met the evangelist who invited us to join himself and the pastor at Big Boy's Restaurant at 9 Mile and Gratiot for dinner. We road in their car. At the restaurant, we chatted about religion and no doubt shared our different perspectives on tongues and salvation. It was a pleasant talk. When our meeting adjourned, the evangelist paid for our meals.
On the way back to the church building where they dropped us off, the evangelist mentioned something that shocked me at the time. He exclaimed the the earth really was billions of years old. I didn't believe this, yet. He himself didn't want to, but claimed that the evidence was overwhelming. We prayed together and the night adjourned. I experience gave me plenty to meditate on.
One autumn day during my undergrad years, Joe and I were playing hacky sack at a park in Eastpointe. At one point, we decided to go for a walk. Along the way, I found myself needing a restroom. That's when I saw the Eastpointe Assembly of God. It wasn't Sunday or Wednesday, but there were plenty of cars in the parking lot. I stopped in.
When I walked through the door I was met by one of the church members who acted somewhat like a guard. With reservation, he led me to the restroom. On my way out, I could hear a lot of excitement from the auditorium. At the time I wasn't too familiar with the Assemblies of God. The guard explained that they were having a revival. I asked Joe if he would mind sticking around for the experience.
 |
| The church pews were wooden, not dissimilar to this. |
The worship service was followed by a healing service. This is the first time I'd seen anything like it. The evangelist stood at the front of the sanctuary and people came forward for prayers and healing. I only remember two individuals specifically. The first was an old woman who complained of having trouble seeing. The evangelist laid hands on her, prayed and then asked if she noticed a difference. She said "yes." I did not see happiness on her face. A young woman about 14 or 15 also came forward. She explained that she was having a problem with acne. She felt insecure. The evangelist prayed that she would "notice a difference" in her complexion.
The service ended and we approached the front of the auditorium. I spoke with their youth minister, who explained that most young people in the Assemblies of God did not feel that speaking in tongues was necessary for salvation, but that most older people in the fellowship felt otherwise. There are theological generation gaps in every religious community.
 |
| Big Boy's or Elias Brothers is a popular family restaurant in Michigan and nearby states |
On the way back to the church building where they dropped us off, the evangelist mentioned something that shocked me at the time. He exclaimed the the earth really was billions of years old. I didn't believe this, yet. He himself didn't want to, but claimed that the evidence was overwhelming. We prayed together and the night adjourned. I experience gave me plenty to meditate on.
No comments:
Post a Comment