After careful thought I made up my mind to visit the church, to see how the Christians worship. On Sunday I was free to join my friend Kennedy at the Hayan Presbyterian Church and as we traveled in his car toward the church, Kennedy made me know that it was a celebration Sunday. That day was a special day and that it was designated that every individual was to come with a thanksgiving gift or offertory to recognize what God had done. So I understood why Kennedy had a box wrapped in a beautiful and shiny material. He made me know that the gift was meant for the widows and the orphans. This is how he opted to present his gratitude to God. The service had been specially announced over the media and so the service was expected to be extremely full because each person was to invite a friend or two into the annual celebration service. Every person, ready and willing to hear the gospel, headed to the same venue. As we approached the church compound, I could see the big signboard which displayed the church services. It read “the morning Sunday services at 7 am, 9 am and 11 am and evening services 1 pm, 3 pm, and 5 pm”. However, this Sunday was unique because the church expected an overflow crowd for the annual celebration.
When we entered the church compound, I sensed a holiday mood, a feeling of relaxation and freedom. I realized we arrived one hour early for the 9 am service. This was a good time for me because I had a good chance to follow up on everything as it occurred. I could see some parking attendants dressed in yellow cordons and white hand gloves trying to direct the traffic appropriately to occupy the large parking space on the church square. Crowds of people gathered outside the church and many were still arriving as others moved in and out of the church in preparation for the start of the service. Suddenly people were coming out from the 7 o’clock service to give room for the 9 o’clock service to begin. As the people entered the square, each was given a wooden box filled with rice cakes.
In front of the church building, there was a children’s choir dressed in blue gowns with white and shiny collars and they sang melodious gospel songs. This created an extremely joyful atmosphere. At various corners of the compound square, I could identify people issuing pieces of paper in which they were required to indicate the various church activities they intended to participate in. These scenes quickly reminded me of the way Muslims distributed books and articles including the holy Quran to the Muslim faithful. I could clearly note the difference. Whereas at our mosque, one or two people were stationed at the gate to issue the articles to the people as they arrived, here the individuals were positioned in different booths at various corners of the church square.
When we entered the church building, we were welcomed by the deacons dressed in red jackets and white hand gloves and were directed to the balcony, which I later understood was set aside for outsiders and visitors. On each seat were headphones for instantaneous translation into various languages including English and Chinese. Shortly an American man appeared who spoke very fluent American English. He introduced himself and asked if we were alright. Immediately he gave me a New International Version Bible and a booklet with numerous English gospel hymns. ” Jesus loves you,” he said, with a warm smile. I did not answer because I did not know what response would be most appropriate. Kennedy looked at me and said “Amen”. I noted a number of men seated next to me. I could clearly identify my fellows from China and I could see them enjoying the warm treatment. It was just a few minutes before the service could officially begin and the congregation was immersed into the melodious hymn songs. The choir I saw approximated to three hundred persons beautifully uniformed. The orchestra comprised nearly fifty individuals and provided quality instrumental support to the choir. I particularly liked the turquoise white robes with bright collars and orchestra silk robes with bright collars. At this point, I could see the ministers take their rightful positions. Then the service finally began with a mighty doxology and prayer. I remember hearing the sound of a bell, something I later understood was a symbol of the start of the service. The choral sounds and hymns all demonstrated mighty worship and celebration of the love for Jesus. In the middle of the mighty worship I could hear one of the ministers shout “Praises, Sing praises!” and I knew this was meant to make the congregation sing with vigor and passion. This appeared as the climax of the celebration singing. I could see some of the congregants kneeling down and crying to their God. I could not understand this at that time but I later learned that the people believed that the lord was exalted in the mighty praises and that when His presence descended the people could then be free to kneel down and speak to Him. I particularly liked the choir sang “Jesus Lover of my Soul” because it touched my heart.
Then there came the sermon which was simple and straightforward. The minister introduced himself as Pastor John. “Belief in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,” he said. He then read out the NIV bible from the book of Acts 16:31. Pastor John began the sermon by talking about faith. I could notice the stillness among the congregation, which was definitely an indication that they were fully attentive and careful to ensure that they understood the message. “Many people fail to fulfill the purpose for which they were created because they put their trust in wrong things.” He said. “Some people put their trust in money, power or fame”. He added. In that sermon pastor, John tried to explain the clear distinction between the true God and the ‘gods’ that people have trusted and have failed. I could identify individuals who appeared touched by this message as they meditated carefully. The sermon outlined the idols to mankind. I was particularly surprised when I heard him say that the worship of Jesus was the only true worship. I thought I did not get it right. “Brethren, stop idol worship,” he said. Then he began to explain the importance of worship and praises with true faith in God. The sermon particularly emphasized the importance of having faith in Jesus. Then the preacher asked the people to repeat some prayer of salvation. This was to lead the people back to Jesus so that they could renew their walk with him. As the sermon came to an end, I could clearly identify the key points in that preaching, such as God’s love for humanity, God’s future plans for mankind, and the impact of sin and how it creates a barrier between man and His creator. I realized that I was blessed. The sermon also explained that the Bible is God’s word that directs the believers to fulfill His own purpose. I understood that the salvation of God is offered to all free as long as one can have faith in Jesus.