Personal Narrative: The Kennedy Road Tabernacle Church

When I visited my first Jewish synagogue, I expected it to be very different. My previous experience with religious ceremonies was limited to a few visits to Baptist churches. The most surprising thing for me at this one was, oddly enough, its similarity to Christian services and rituals. I went into the religious visit expecting an enormous difference in the customs and perhaps even in the attitudes of the people attending the service. What I found instead was a religious ceremony very reminiscent of the Christian ones I’ve been to before.

I chose to do my religious ethnographic study at my home church, Tabernacle Baptist Church in Youngstown, Ohio on Sunday, May 8, 2016. Tabernacle is an 112-year-old historic Black Baptist church located on the lower Northside of Youngstown surrounded by a mixed income housing development, homeless shelter, Youngstown State University, and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. I would say the average age of a Tabernacle member is 55 years old. About 70% of the members at this church are “middle-class” families. Until about five years ago, its membership was almost exclusively middle class. There has seen an influx of membership in working class individuals and students since the arrival of Tabernacle’s young, vibrant pastor, Rev. Christopher McKee, Jr., three years ago. The church is attentive to the needs of this demographic but remains true to its historic Black Baptist church roots. The church previously struggled with this conundrum until it came to the reality that an exclusivist mindset around worship is detrimental to the body of Christ when it did not have a pastor for over three years. The church was dying because no one was welcome to it and it did not have a leader. Though it was difficult, this reassessment was beneficial in making Tabernacle more relevant and welcoming to the community it is blessed to serve.

In my experience at first progressive Baptist Church I was very much out of my comfort zone because not only did I not feel as welcomed but it was a little awkward because of all the looks I was receiving. I felt I was not dressed as they were and felt as if I didn't fit in and right away I just didn't feel appropriate with my attire. While I was there I actually had people wanting to shake hands and asking me questions about me coming and there was one man who just stared at me and so it was uncomfortable and didn't know how to react. While I was there I started to notice that there is a little difference from the church I go to and the music was way different as well, everyone will talk back with amen or thank you Jesus. The difference

Preparing for the event was very nerve-racking and I felt extremely anxious and apprehensive. The church attendance was all African Americans and mostly low-income with a mix of young and old. The church itself is very old, established in 1787, and sits in one of Carbondale’s poorer neighborhoods. I have been to this church before though, for work purposes to do a homeless count at the soup kitchen, so I was a little familiar with the church in general. Based on the soup kitchen experience the attendance of people in the church was pretty much as expected.

I knew one thing for certain: Tennessee was a very stupid state filled with stupid people and I would never drink their stupid sweet tea. Thus was my twelve year old opinion.

The Brentwood Baptist Church is not a church that I have had any previous experience with. I had the opportunity to attend the Brentwood Baptist Church while on vacation in Tennessee. First, I chose to attend a Baptist church based on the fact that my children’s father attended a Baptist church throughout his childhood which would allow my children to have an experience in a Baptist church. The second contributing factor in the choice was the size of this particular church. Although our home church is the largest church in our hometown the Brentwood Baptist Church is much larger than our home church. The third contributing factor of the choice was the close proximity of the church to the resort that I was at.

Church, temple, sanctuary, or the Lords’s house, these are just a few names that your average person might call the place you come to worship God, I have always called it home. The Church I have been attending, Memorial Baptist Church, which is also where I attend high school, I have been attending since I was the age of three years old. Moving to the area that my family lives in now, I do not believe is any accident. At the age of two years old, my father was stationed in Tennessee for the military. After passing away from brain cancer, my Mother moved my two older sisters and me to Killeen Texas, to be closer to her family. Memorial Baptist Church was the only church we have ever been members of since moving to Texas, it has always felt like

The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was a popular meeting place for rights (people who use action and strong words to support or oppose something) in Birmingham, Alabama. Like many other churches during the 1960's, it gave a safe place for African Americans to crowd together and worship. That sense of safety was shattered on the morning of September 15th, 1963 when a few members of the Ku Klux Klan planted nineteen sticks of dynamite in the basement of the church, killing four innocent girls (Bracks 289). Some would argue the truly awful act directly sped up (a process) the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because it showed the world no place was safe from the tension caused by the (the right to vote, to free speech, to fair and equal

The dress code, in today’s times, is seen as strict. The men are expected to wear collared-shirts, no shorts or jeans. The women must wear dresses at least to the knee. If one breaks the dress code, they won’t be ostracized or anything of that nature. I have heard the preacher preach on how men and women should dress, I would imagine that it made some people feel awkward. In order to become a member of the church, one must be baptized by immersion. It’s usually done in a river or lake nearby. On Sunday’s Sunday school starts around 9:45, there’s a dismissal at 10:50 and the Sunday service starts at 11 o’clock. We go back to church for the 6 o’clock pm service and again on Wednesday at 7:30 pm. There are separate prayer meetings for men and women before the Sunday service and an altar call after every service. Members are expected to give a 10% tithe to the church each Sunday. The Bible is the King James Version and we follow the Ten Commandments. No decisions are made without being brought before the congregation at a business meeting. Also, one doesn’t ask for a church role, the pastor will assign them or be voted in. If asked, the pastor might not consider

The three of us arrived at the church about 30 minutes before the service started. I noticed as I waited for everything to start that this church had a phenomenally diverse range of attendees. There was your typical grandmother with her

I go to Greenbrier or Conway NLC it’s pronounced “New Life Church” I have the best leaders and friends in this Church. Some connections are telling about our fillings and we all don't judge each other. We all have fun playing games together, and we love each other to death. We write sticky notes and write what our friends problems or are problems who we need to pray for like if a mom has cancer we will pray for her in life groups, when your getting bullied we will pray for the bully or the person who is getting bullied and stuff like those problems.

I decided to go to a Baptist Church here in Miami. The reason that I chose Coral Park Baptist Church was because most Baptist Churches that I called here in Miami had the service in Spanish but Coral Park Baptist had an English service as well. I went to the eleven o’clock service on Sunday. The whole church itself was pretty big. There is the main temple that has the regular service in Spanish and then there is a whole other building that has separate classrooms where the English service is held and other Sunday school type classes are held.

As a prerequisite to transition from a Higher Ground student one to Higher Ground student two, I conducted a foot-washing ceremony. For my ceremony I used a dear family friend and fellow ministry leader; Sister Leina has been a part of our family ministry for rough a few years, but has been tremendous help and true servant in the advancement of the Rebuilding the Tabernacle Ministry. Shockingly, it was revealed to be hours before my ceremony that I should serve Sister Lenia. In particular, she has been the armor-bearer for our ministry and Apostle Melody Cook, who is one of the main teachers at our ministry. Sister Leina has taken upon herself to do the task and duties my family and other families aren’t able to do daily for the ministry

Christianity is the religion based on the life, death and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, also known as the Christ or Messiah. Jesus was a Jewish teacher and prophet who lived in Palestine in the first century CE. He revealed himself to be the Son of God in fulfillment of Hebrew scripture, and taught that the Kingdom of God was imminent, bringing with it forgiveness and new life for all who believed. His claim to be the Messiah roused opposition from religious and political authorities and he was imprisoned and crucified. His followers believe that after his death, Jesus was resurrected before being taken up to heaven.

Interviewing several pastors can be eye opening in that you will begin to see different character qualities, disciplines and where they are in their spiritual journey. My intention was to interview several pastors, however, I was unable to obtain the responses needed to complete a study such as that. I did get to meet with one pastor, and I believe that it was truly difficult for him to answer most of the questions even after giving him some time to think about each question. My interview was with a very intelligent and spiritual man named Les Harvey. He is currently serving at the Church of the Highlands Greystone campus under many great leaders.