May 4, 2006

 

Different Neighborhoods,

Same Gospel

 

This past Sunday Derek and I attended the Spring Concert of the Charlotte Children's Choir.  As I waited for the concert to begin, I mused about the eNews article that I needed to write about the upcoming Hip Hop Mass to be held in Charlotte this Sunday.  I thought about the introduction to Church of the Beloved, presented in the first session of Orientation, when Derek and I quote from Eugene Peterson's The Message, a modern language paraphrase of the Bible.  The phrase many of us know as "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." translates in The Message as "The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood."

 

I flashed back to our former congregation in Indiana, thriving as the fifth largest Episcopal congregation north of Indianapolis and the only congregation of our denomination in five counties.  A great deal of teaching centered on making new disciples and researching the community in which we ministered.  Kokomo is a small city with two major industries, one was either an engineer (white collar) or worked on the line (blue collar); many people rode motorcycles (Harley Davidson, the preferred choice) with attendant black leather; hard rock music was heard more than anything else.  In an attempt to reach out to those who didn't have a relationship with Jesus Christ, the St. Andrew congregation chose to start a service to be held at 11:11 in the morning using screens instead of books, video clips to illustrate the Gospel, hard rock secular and Christian music played by a band.  That service begun in 1997 is still thriving today.  (In fact, when Derek and I entertained someone who visited Church of the Beloved, while working on his doctoral thesis, he said, "The only other church I've found doing anything like what's happening at Church of the Beloved is a church in some small town called Kokomo."  We replied what you'll see is similar, but reflective of their neighborhood, because Church of the Beloved's roots are in that congregation).

 

When Charlotte's New Church Committee interviewed us in the summer of 1999, we were told that the chairman, after listening to our cassette of St. Andrew's traditional 8am service and the praise and worship 9:15 service, about wrecked his car when he got to the 11:11 service!  We assured him that Jesus called us to "move into the neighborhood" and that the music style in Kokomo would not be the music style in South Charlotte.  When we first shared the principles of Church of the Beloved in the early-year Orientations (before we began worshiping) people would get to the principle "Indigenous Worship" and wonder if we were going to use African drums!  We believe that God calls us, as a worshiping Christian community, to be relevant to those living in Charlotte's South Perimeter's culture.  Many in our 2006 culture find no meaning in sitting and passively listening to someone read and lecture from an unfamiliar book (the Bible) and sing songs accompanied by a slowly played organ.  Other people, who grew up in a church culture, find comfort in that style; I have no doubt that their children and grandchildren, not desiring anything else, will keep that worship style alive, too.

When I heard that the Diocesan Office (our Regional Office in Raleigh) was sponsoring three Hip Hop Masses, one in Chapel Hill, one in Durham and one in Charlotte, I thought how interesting but not my "cup of tea."   I did, at least, research its roots and learned from their press release that Hip-Hop EMass was founded by Fr. Timothy Holder, rector of the 137-year-old Trinity Episcopal Church in the South Bronx who said, "The rappers bless us with their God-given talent to lead the church in new ways into new days.  From the time of our earliest working-group meetings, our goals remained simple and straightforward: It was to sing the new song of Jesus Christ in the vernacular-the language of the people-especially our younger generations." Little did Fr. Holder know last summer that his little Friday night street masses on Trinity Avenue "for the kids" would reach far beyond Trinity's parish community.  From that series of Friday night street services, HipHopEMass.org was conceived. "We welcome everybody," said Holder. "That's what the ‘E' stands for-God loves everybody everywhere, excellently, and extravagantly for evermore!" Holder and his musicians have taken the message beyond the South Bronx to ex-offenders in Harlem, juveniles incarcerated in a high-risk correction center in Virginia, and to young urban residents in Charlotte, NC.  And in May they'll add Chapel Hill and Durham to their docket.  The World Council of Churches has honored HopHopEMass.org with the "Blessed are the Peacemakers" Award, recognizing the group for "inspiring, courageous and faithful efforts to build a just, a peaceful world." 

Not being a fan of the musical style Hip Hop, I thought I could just let this event pass on by on a Sunday evening in uptown Charlotte.  Then I got to thinking of the people who grumble about Church of the Beloved's style, our lack of books, organ, stained glass, traditional building without even visiting to experience that we offer the most classical liturgy in the city - sung Eucharist, immersion baptisms, a full liturgical schedule especially during Holy Week, incense, gestures, and lavish signs and symbols.  The stained glass of the middle ages helped the illiterate better understand the scripture lesson; our stain glass is presented as a video clip from a current film (and although not illiterate in many areas, still offered to a culture so that better understanding of the scripture lesson may happen).  Our music is "music that draws one closer to God, regardless of the era in which it was written" and the chosen songs, reflecting the theme of the readings for the day, often bring home the point that God is working in the world each day of the week and not only on Sunday.

Reflecting on that, it seemed rather hypocritical of me to "write off" the Hip Hop Mass, without even experiencing it.   The Mass will be offered this Sunday, May 7 from 5:30 to 7pm at Trinity Episcopal School, uptown.  The older FaithQuest group (ages 9-15) will gather at 4:30pm at Beloved Garden and go outside our "comfort zone" to experience another church's attempt to "move into the neighborhood."  Kurtis Blow, a well known early rapper will be the preacher and Bishop Gary Gloster will be the Celebrant.  Anyone desiring to support this endeavor and experience worship from another perspective is invited to join us at the Garden and caravan with us uptown to Charlotte's Hip Hop Mass.

 

As the time drew closer for the Charlotte Children's Choir Concert to begin, I stopped musing and writing in my head and listened to the musical offering.  I laughed to myself as, half way through the concert, one of the featured presentations was a modern day mass, written specifically for liturgical congregations in the New Orleans area, using jazz music.  God indeed is "moving into the neighborhoods" of his created world and calls us by name using our own language!!

 

Clifford King Harbin, pastor

 

 

Psalm 23

a Hip Hop adaptation by Ryan Hearse

 

     The Lord is all that,

     I need for nothing.

     He allows me to chill.

     He keeps me from being heated

     and allows me to breathe easy.

     He guides my life

     So that I can represent

and give shouts out in his Name.

     And even though I walk through

the Hood of death,

     I don't back down

     For you have my back.

                                                 The fact that he has me covered

                                            allows me to chill.

                                                 He provides me with back-up

                                            in front of my player-haters

                                                 and I know that I am a baller

                                                 and life will be phat.

                                                 I fall back in the Lord's crib

                                           for the rest of my life. 

                                                 For the rest of my life.

                                                 For the fest of my life.

                                                 We love you Lord Jesus!

 

 

Around Beloved...Beloved's Worker Bees (youth 9-12) and metamorphosis (youth 12-15) each have a Planning Night with Parents coming up this weekend; the younger group on Friday (5/5) and the older group on Saturday (5/6) from 7:30-8:30pm at Beloved Garden...Sunday Christian Formation continues this Sunday...All rising 7^th, 8^th and 9^th graders are invited to attend Episcopal Outreach Camp (July 9-12) sponsored by Beloved and most of the Episcopal churches in Charlotte.  Applications are available at Beloved Garden or from Miss Clifford or Deacon Deb...CPCC's production of Inherit the Wind will feature three generations of the Al Krantz family:  Al will be joined in the cast by grandsons Christo and Kevin Krantz along with son, Tim.  The play's final shows will be May 5 & 6 at 8pm and May 7 at 2:30pm.  Inherit the Wind is based on an actual 1925 trial involving two great lawyers arguing the case for and against a science teacher accused of the crime of teaching evolution.  For tickets or more information, call 704.330.6534.

 

Serving at God's Altar this Sunday...Angel Army Team 3 (Captain: Mark Leinenkugel; Administrator: Kris Leinenkugel; Pastor: Jim Skrobot; Convener: Scott Sanniota); Acolytes: Daniel Dygowski, David Dygowski, Elizabeth Nichols, Joseph Nichols, Katie Sanniota; Reader: Joseph Nichols; Presenters: Anna & Bud Moore; Lay Eucharistic Ministers: Dick Reif, Al Krantz; Offertory Basket Passers: Ceci Atwood, Gabi Leinenkugel, Jack Sanniota, Katie Sanniota; PowerPoint: Kevin Krantz.

In our Prayers...a holy death for Evelyn, Kris Leinenkugel's paternal grandmother...for Richard, Ginger Leppert‘s father...for Jessie Powell and Janie Lownes who are recuperating from surgery or hospital stays...for those serving in Iraq, especially Scott, Dan Hood's brother...for Nancy and Tony Hodgson's granddaughter, Emily...for Marilyn Doyon and Jennifer Marsico who are expecting babies this upcoming year...for Dorothy, Mary Reid's sister who is fighting lung cancer and has been hospitalized in intensive care for pneumonia...for Ruth, Shana Blake‘s cousin...for Ed and Jean, Dick Reif's parents who are in declining health in Oklahoma...for Bill, Lee Frickhoeffer's uncle who has terminal cancer...for Charlie, Toni Reif‘s friend who has cancer...for Brian McCarthy as he continues medical testing.

 

Upcoming Calendar...click here