Salvation Army - Update 1

Majors Mitham and Angela Clement

The Petaluma Corp (church) of the Salvation Army has new co-Pastors, Majors Mitham and Angela Clement.  (See my original post about the Salvation Army - how it is a church, and its history.)  I recently visited the church and met them.

Both Mitham and Angela were born and grew up in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific.  Mitham did a lot of spear-fishing there as a kid.  They met in college there.  Angela was involved in the Salvation Army there, and kept asking Mitham to go.  At first, he thought it was part of the military base in the Marshall Islands. Though he said yes, he didn't go.  Angela stopped asking him and started praying.  He went.  Mitham was impressed by how much they put their faith into action - going to the hospitals, going to the homeless, etc.

They married and decided to become Officers in the Salvation Army.  For two years they attended the Salvation Army College for Officer Training at Crestmont in Rancho Palos Verde, California.  Then they were ordained (commissioned) as Lieutenants.  They served for some years at a post in Hawaii.  Their most recent post was in Springfield, Oregon.  Over 18 years, they have risen to the rank of Majors.  They have 3 children: Curtison (25), adopted by Angela from her family before their marriage , serves as a Lieutenant with the Salvation Army in Sacramento.  Christiane (23) remains in Hawaii, while Hamelee (21) lives with them and attends the local junior college.

New Community Center

When I last visited the Salvation Army, they were building a community center on their property.  It is now completed, and I got to tour it.  It houses several offices for their ministries, which frees up rooms in the church for other uses.  They also have a good sized warehouse in the rear where they store food for food distribution, but also for disaster relief.  They also keep many army cots prepared for use should an emergency develop.  The Salvation Army believes in being prepared for disaster relief, and have often provided it when disasters and emergencies arise.

When I last visited, back in 2011, Captains Scott and Barbara Schneider served as co-Pastors.  They left for a new post, and Mike and Rachel Johnson then served as co-Pastors, until June 29th when the Clements arrived.  Salvation Army Officers, with some exceptions, tend to be assigned new posts every  5 years or so.  Anyway, I am rooting for the Clements.  They have a history of taking small congregations and helping them grow.  They already undertook a project to clean out and organize the church.  God bless them.

St. John's Anglican Church - Update 1

St. John's Anglican Church

Since I last visited St. John's Anglican Church, they relocated to 532 S. McDowell (in Petaluma).  They purchased the property some time in June of 2014, transformed the property into a church, and moved in August of that year.

Many in town knew the property as the site of Suzanne's Dance School.  Originally, The Church of Christ of Petaluma built it as their church building.  So it is being returned to being used as a church.

Pastor David Miller reports he is well-pleased with this transition, as well as the congregation.  While they Rented facilities at Lucchessi Community Center, it involved a lot of extra time setting up, and then later, breaking down, the church.  They called this "church in a box."  Owning a facility avoids this.  In addition, they now enjoy being a church in a neighborhood.

While some may say that buying property detracts from the church's mission, David Miller finds just the opposite.  He reports they are spending less on facilities on a monthly basis than when they rented both a meeting facility as well as church offices.

Finally, Pastor David thanks the support of City Ministries through the whole process.  City Ministries is an association of local churches which support each other.

New Life Christian Fellowship (Update 1)

Kevin & Maria Finkbiner
have two sons, Mattie & Landon

In February, 2014, New Life Christian Fellowship appointed a new Lead Pastor, Kevin Finkbiner.  Kevin (35 years old) has now served in that role for just over two years.  In a unique transition, Ron Hunt remains as the Teaching and Mentoring Pastor.  This transition gives room for Ron, as the older pastor, to allow Kevin, as the younger pastor to take the lead while benefiting from Ron's experience.

Kevin comes from Pasadena in Southern California.  He moved up to Sonoma County for his undergraduate studies at Sonoma State University.  InterVarsity Fellowship (a college campus ministry) soon
offered him an internship at their Sonoma State ministry.  He served six years on staff there in leadership.

At some point Kevin began attending New Life and Ron invited him to a position on staff.  Kevin has attended New Life for 14 years now.  Sometime in 2010, Ron announced a plan to transition Kevin into becoming Lead Pastor.

Though Kevin still describes New Life as a seeker-friendly church, he emphasizes the important role of making disciples.  He describes how New Life puts feet to this both every Sunday as well as through life groups (small group meetings), and especially through their core classes, leadership classes, and developing relationships.  Kevin likes to say, "You can belong before you believe."

For some time, Kevin has taken online classes from the Menlo Park campus of Fuller Theological Seminary.  He says by now he roughly has the equivalent of a Bible college degree.

When I visited New Life in 2011, Ron Hunt estimated they had around 500 members.  Kevin now estimates they have an average weekly attendance of around 550.

Original Post

Village Baptist Church (Update 1)

3585 Cypress Drive, Petaluma

Back around August of 2015, Village Baptist Church moved from their previous location at Suzanne's Dance School, at 532 S. McDowell in Petaluma, to an office suite at 3835 Cypress Drive, Suite 107, also in Petaluma (almost directly across from the UPS headquarters for Petaluma).  As with an increasing number of churches, they moved into an office building usually used for businesses.  It's in an industrial park in the south side of Petaluma.

Oddly, this move garnered unusual opposition expressed to the City of Petaluma.  I say unusual, since, when I visited, there is no one visible for quite a distance all around.  Some expressed concern they would have large meetings during the workweek, and overwhelm the parking lot, though the church asserted they held no work-hour meetings during the work week.  Eventually, the Planning Commission determined they needed no conditional permit, since the law treated them as a club which needs no conditional permit, and the City Council upheld an appeal of the Planning Commission decision in a unanimous vote.

3585 Cypress Drive
 Backside Main Entrance

I previously posted that Village Baptist Church had their main congregation down in Marin City, in Marin County, and Pastor Akognan would do an early service in Petaluma (since he lives here), and then travel down to Marin City to do a later service.  But since then, around three years ago or so, Village Baptist shut down their Marin City church, and moved all their operations up here in Petaluma.

So in my last post, I reported an attendance of around 20-30, while today, I saw around 60 or so (without counting those caring for children's Sunday school - so I would guess around 70 or so in weekly attendance.)  Some down in Marin City followed the move up to Petaluma.  Others still live in Marin City, but hope to move up here.  The church also hopes to grow up here.  They also hope to improve the lighting in their sanctuary.

It felt good to visit a church where most of the congregation consists of a portion of our society under-represented in Petaluma, but that has contributed so much to our culture.

Original Post: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7772613517005410705#editor/target=post;postID=1126590659365039961;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=60;src=postname

Update - Petaluma Christian Church

Jason Baker and family

Petaluma Christian Church engaged a new pastor in September, 2014, Jason Baker.  Jason is married to Leisha, and they have two sons, Evan (5) and Caleb (2).

Pastor Jason last served at East Park Church in Vancouver, Washington, where he began as a Youth/Men's Pastor, advanced to an Associate Pastor, and then served as an Interim Pastor when the Lead Pastor left.

Jason was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and still roots for all the Arizona sports teams.  He attended and graduated from Arizona Christian University.  He then attended Golden Gate Baptist Seminary (mostly attending their Phoenix, Arizona campus).  He earned his Masters of Divinity degree in 2009.

Let's pray for Jason (and his family) as he shepherds the flock at Petaluma Christian Church.

Original post for Petaluma Christian Church

Petaluma United Methodist Church - Update 1

Pastor Burke Owens

The Petaluma United Methodist Church in Petaluma has a new pastor, Burke Owens, who began his ministry in Petaluma this July (2015).  He has a background in growing grapes for wineries, so of course he focused on the rich symbolism in the Bible about vineyards, vines, and grapes, as well as sharing his knowledge of other ancient cultural practices of grape growing for various purposes reaching into our times. He left that background to tend to the local Methodist vineyard here in Petaluma, though he still works part-time in other business related vineyards (a sort of tent-maker).

Original Post

360 Church of Petaluma - Update 1

A few years ago, I wrote about a new church - 360 church of Petaluma.
http://visitingchurches.blogspot.com/2011/10/360-church-of-petaluma.html

They have sinced moved from their location at Valley Vista School (at 360 N. Webster St., Petaluma) to 879 Lindsburg Lane (also in Petaluma).  http://360churchofpetaluma.com/contact-us/

As they told me, they first sought to lease this sight.  However, the owner, who also owned North Bay Construction, wanted them to buy the property, which they did for around $5,000,000.  It's a large piece of property, so they lease out most of it to businesses (mostly along the Payran side), which pays for the mortgage, so, as they tell me, they have no mortgage payment.

Meanwhile, they have been renovating the warehouse where they meet.  They have been raising the funds to renovate this space, which they have done in stages, and continue to do in their upstairs Sunday School rooms.  They have raised these funds from their congregation and friends.

Since I last visited them, they have increased their average attendance from about 200 adults on a given Sunday to around 300 or so, with many children in the Sunday school.

I rejoice in their growth both in their membership as well as their property holdings.  May God bless them as they continue to grow.

Penngrove Community Church - Update 2

Roger Hoffman

Penngrove Community Church called a new pastor, Rev. Roger Hoffman.

Roger graduated from Golden Gate Seminary in the 1976 with a Masters of Divinity.  While attending seminary in 1972 he was a co-founding pastor of Church of the Open Door in Mill Valley, California (which later moved to San Rafael.)

In 1979, Roger and his wife Eva, became missionaries to England.  They soon founded Open Door Community Church in Bromley, England, a suburb of London.  That church eventually grew to around 300 members.

In 1986, they turned over the leadership of that church to the team they had raised up, and returned to the United States.  Soon after his return, Roger became pastor of Church of the Open Door in San Francisco, California.

In 1997, Roger joined the pastoral staff of New Life Christian Centre in London, England.

Roger and Eva returned to the United States in 2002 to care for Roger's parents in Texas.  Their health had been deteriorating.  They spent a year with them.

Roger spent the next several years preaching in various churches as called upon as well as going on mission trips to Russia, Africa, and Malta.

Roger and Eva are excited about his call to pastor Penngrove Community Church, and the church is excited about having Pastor Roger there as well.

Last Penngrove Community Church Update
Original Penngrove Community Church Post

What Do People Wear to Church?

Sunday Clothes

In my last post, I explored what the clergy wear to church.  In this post, I want to explore what people (the laity) wear to church.

There is an old tradition often referred to as Sunday clothes, sometimes called Sunday best (or sometimes Sunday best clothes).  The idea is you put on your best clothes, sometimes your newest clothes, for going to church, whatever your tradition.  In this tradition, people often dressed to the hilt, in accordance to their means, when going to church on Sunday.

For many, this tradition showed respect for God, respect for the church, and respect for each other.  For those who continue in this tradition, it is similar to the requirement to dress well when going to court (the law still requires you to avoid overly casual clothes such as shorts, tank tops, sandals, etc. when you go to court - in order to show respect for the law, the court, and the judge.  The judge can hold you in contempt if you dress inappropriately.)  However, for those who uphold this tradition, it is more than a show of respect, it is a show of celebration and joy, yet with a touch of sobriety and solemnity.

This tradition is celebrated in the Broadway musical, Hello Dolly (1964 - music & lyrics by Jerry Herman - book by Michael Stewart), adapted into a film in 1969, in the song, Put On Your Sunday Clothes.  Though it doesn't put this tradition in the context of going to church, it speaks to the sheer joy of putting on your best clothes to get you out of your blues and to prepare you to go in style into town.


Unfortunately, at many churches that followed this tradition, if anyone came with long hair, blue jeans, or otherwise casually dressed, they were not only made unwelcome, but all too often asked to leave unless they returned appropriately dressed.  While many were not asked, they simply felt unwelcome.

This led to a different tradition in many contemporary churches where casual clothes are acceptable, and often welcomed, or even encouraged.  In some, this tradition has gone so far as to make you feel unwelcome if you get dressed up for Sunday.  (Sort of the opposite effect.)

Other churches have found some sort of a happy middle, where people are free to dress however they choose to, with some dressing tending more to what might be considered their Sunday best, while others dress more casually, with everyone seeming to get along as far as their attire goes.

I appreciate both traditions, especially after visiting all the churches in Petaluma.  I like dressing in my Sunday clothes as well as casually, depending on the church tradition I visited.  I am much more interested in what is in the inside of Christians than what they wear on the outside.

What Clergy Wear (Vestments)

While I visited the churches, I saw a great deal of diversity and freedom in the the Church of what the clergy wear during church services, though some traditions have very strict regulations that govern this.  It also tends to show the difference between liturgical and non-liturgical churches.

In liturgical churches (Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans/Episcopalians, Lutherans, and others), the clergy almost always wear vestments (liturgical garments) during church services.  In Western churches, the vestment usually includes the Cassock (a long robe), the Alb (a garment worn over the Cassock) or the Cassock-Alb (a more modern combination of the two garments), and a Pectoral Cross.  Depending on the tradition, a number of other garments are worn.  In Eastern Churches, a whole other set of garments with other names are worn.  Each garment has a special significance, and an extensive study can be undertaken to understand the significance and relationship of all the garments worn by different traditions. Vestments tend to be colorful and often come in many different colors.  I visited several churches where the clergy wore vestments.

In history, many (not all) Protestant churches (especially Congregational, Presbyterian, and Reformed) gave up colorful vestments in favor of black preaching gowns - which look somewhat similar to a judge's robes.  The general idea was to simplify the vestments and to reflect a more sober and somber view of delivering God's words.  (However, some preaching gowns have color.)     I did not visit any churches where the minister still wears a black preaching gown (though some had pictures of clergy who did in the early days of their church).  In some churches, the minister wore a preaching gown (or robe) with colors.  It might be fun someday to visit a church that still observes the wearing of a black preaching gown.

At some point, Methodists clergy in England began wearing business suits (often with a collar). Over time, many clergy in non-liturgical churches have taken to wearing business suits during church services (and in many churches this is a requirement or simply expected).  The idea is to reflect what a serious person would wear in the surrounding culture.  I visited a number of churches where the pastor wore a business suit.

In churches that follow a more contemporary type of service, the pastor is given the freedom to come dressed in casual clothes - and sometimes they are dressed more casually than the congregants.  The general idea is that through faith in Christ, God is approachable and we can feel comfortable in his presence.  I visited several churches where the pastor wore casual attire.

Now many believers often have strong feelings or beliefs about how the clergy should be dressed, though Scripture has little to say on this point.  (Scripture did have much to say about how the priests in the Old Testament were to dress.)  Then again, many have strong feelings or beliefs about how others should dress in certain situations.  There is an interesting mix of customs, traditions, feelings, and freedoms about how we dress and how we dress in certain situations.  I tend to believe there is a great deal of freedom in this area as well as freedom for churches to set certain standards for their clergy to dress during church services.  I want to enjoy the rich diversity here rather than try to decide exactly which is correct here.

Penngrove Community Church - Update 1

Sad news to report: The pastor of Penngrove Community Church, Lowell Uhlig, has passed on to be with the Lord.  (Here is the obituary published in the local paper.) (Here is what I wrote when I previously visited Penngrove Community Church.)  Please pray for his family, as well the church, as they grieve (at their loss), celebrate his life (and transition to heaven), as well as the transition to new leadership in the church (the search and call for a new pastor).

Long before his death, I spoke with him about his time at Marin Covenant Church (in Terra Linda) and some of the brothers and sisters we knew there in common.

Update 2

Worship Music

Singers & Musicians Panels - Ghent Altarpiece
Jan & Hubert Van Eyck (1432) in Belgium

All Christian churches have music as part of their worship service (or Mass).  This is universal and a point of unity, as well as something beautiful - artistic and creative.  It spurs worship and opens the heart in ways other communication does not reach - since music has been described as the language of the soul. Thankfully, churches display a great deal of diversity in this area - it would be boring if they all played the same limited selection of music from a single songbook Sunday after Sunday till Christ returns.  Yet, its reassuring to play old classic tunes that have stood the test of time.

Eastern Nazarene College Cappella
Choir at Central Baptist Church

Almost all Western Christian churches use musical instruments to accompany singing.  (Orthodox Churches, including Eastern Orthodox, exclusively sing without musical accompaniment.)    One notable exception is the Churches of Christ (though other churches do so - while others do so on occasions - and have a cappella choirs for this).  They only sing a cappella (without instruments).  It actually sounds wonderful since they usually work out 4 part harmonies to all the songs they sing.  It's like being in a large barbershop quartet.  They claim the early church did not use musical instruments - and there seems to be some evidence to back this up - though I need to study this more.  Anyway, I think it is a great point of diversity - and I notice even in other churches - at some point in the song, the musical instruments will stop - and the congregation sings a cappella, and sometimes an entire song is sung this way.  It always sounds great.


The other great diversity between churches exists between traditional hymns and contemporary worship music.  The New Testament records the early church sang psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. (Col. 3:16)  Throughout the history of the Church, much diversity exists between many styles of hymns, including Gregorian chants.  Charles Wesley revolutionized hymnody by focusing on expressing one's personal feelings in a relationship with God.  This, along with the Second Great Awakening produced a new style of music called Gospel.  However, many gospel songs are now thought of as hymns - such as How Great Thou Art.

2nd Chapter of Acts

In contrast, Contemporary Christian Music started with the Jesus Movement, much of it based in Calvary Chapel.  It diverted from hymns and focused on music based on folk music as well as rock.  2nd Chapters of Act, Keith Green, Maranatha Music, plus several artists on the Catholic side including the widely known John Michael Talbot, were leading examples.  Today, there is a newer version of Contemporary Christian Music, which tends to focus more on rock - though it tends to be more a matter of newer songs versus somewhat older songs.  Chris Tomlin, Third Day, and Casting Crowns are examples of the newer Contemporary Christian Music.

Chris Tomlin

In various churches, the diversity expresses itself in that while some churches use traditional hymns, others have hymns at an earlier service, and Contemporary Christian Music at a later service.  (Of those who exclusively do hymns - some will include Weslyan-type hymns, while other do not.)   Others exclusively devote themselves to Contemporary Christian Music (though they will occasionally include a hymn - often a gospel song identified as a hymn).  Of those, some will exclusively use earlier Contemporary Christian Music, some will exclusively use later CCMs, while others will use a mix, tending to prefer one or the other.

While some insist on one type of Christian music or another - I tend to like it if it is good music.  However, I am looking forward to any comments about this - since I have found when it comes to music - while all like it - there are many opinions on it.

Communion (The Eucharist)

The Last Supper, by Bouveret - 1896

As I visited churches, I didn't always have Communion (the Eucharist) with them.  While some churches have The Eucharist (Communion) weekly, many have it monthly, and some have it quarterly.  So if I visited a church that held it monthly, or quarterly, I was not always there on their Communion Sunday.  On the other hand, if they held it weekly, then of course, I was there for that service.

However, all churches observe Communion (The Eucharist).  There is only one exception among the churches I visited, and that is the Salvation Army.  They do not observe it as part of their church service, believing it is merely an outward sign of an inward grace - that should be observed in the heart.  Quakers also do not observe this on the same grounds - but I did not visit them as they do not have a church in Petaluma.  All other orthodox Christian churches observe this.  So for almost all such churches, this is a point of unity.

Most Christian traditions also believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the elements (the bread [or host] and the wine).  That is, they really believe Christ is present in the elements, and the elements are not merely symbols.  On this point, there is unity in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican/Episcopal, and Methodist traditions.  While each may understand the Real Presence differently (another topic for discussion), they each affirm it.  While I do not want to overlook the different ways different traditions understand this, I would rather not focus on those differences.

The Baptist tradition (and those who stand in the Baptist tradition) denies the Real Presence - that is they believe the elements are merely symbolic.  However, they affirm that Christ is present during the Communion, as He is present throughout the entire service, since Christ said where two or three are gathered in His name, He is present.  (Matthew 18:20)

To be sure, all such traditions believe the elements, the bread and the wine, are to some degree symbolic, or signs, or represent in some sense - the body and blood of Jesus, especially since at the Last Supper, Jesus was still bodily present when he presented the bread and the wine to the apostles.  However, most traditions do not regard them as merely symbols.

In addition, all such traditions agree that The Eucharist (or Communion) is a memorial, or a remembrance. However, some believe it is only a memorial - while others believe it is a reenactment memorial, similar to how Israel reenacted the Passover as a memorial (somewhat similar to how we, as Americans, reenact Thanksgiving as a memorial to the first Pilgrims).

Some traditions believe the bread must be unleavened, while others accept leavened bread, and others leave it optional.  Unfortunately, at times, in Church history, there have been fierce battles over this, and some still see this as a point of contention (though many others accept either).

While some Christians, traditions, or churches, seem to focus on the areas of disagreement here, and argue forcefully about it, I, and many other Christians, traditions, and churches would rather focus on the areas of agreement here, and avoid an argument, if possible, without overlooking differences and diversity, and instead, promote unity here to the extent possible.

Finally, that leaves the issue about why some traditions call it Communion, while some call it The Eucharist.  Eucharist simply means thanksgiving in Greek.  All Christians agree there is thanksgiving in this celebration. Communion is a Latin word for sharing something in common - the Greek word is koininia - often translated fellowship in the New Testament.  So while some may see grounds here for disagreement, I see more grounds for agreement - all Christians would agree that the remembrance of the Last Supper is both cause for thanksgiving and something we share in common, and a basis for fellowship.

The Sermon (or Homily)

As I visited churches - many asked me what differences I observed.  One obvious difference I saw was in the sermon (or the homily).  The main difference had to do with the amount of time for a sermon, though I also observed many different styles as well.


An average pastor delivers a sermon in between 20 and 30 minutes, with some shorter and some longer.  In the Catholic Church, the priest delivers a homily usually no longer than abut 10 minutes (I understand they are suppose to aim for 8 minutes.)  Usually mainline church pastors deliver their sermons around 15 - 20 minutes.  Evangelical pastors usually deliver their sermons in around 30 minutes or so.  Baptist pastors tend to average around 40 minutes.  Pentecostal pastors may give a sermon that last up to an hour.

Though Catholic priests (pastors) gave shorter homilies (sermons) - they usually have longer Bible readings before it, including an Old Testament reading, an New Testament reading, and a Gospel reading.  So while other sermons may be longer, a good portion of the time involves the pastor reading an initial passage the sermon is based on (expounds), and many cross-references during the sermon.  So in a way, the Catholic homily is almost as  long because the Scripture readings are done before the homily (sermon)  (also in many mainline churches) and the priest refers to them in his homily.  I found in my visits the amount of time of the sermon was not nearly as important as its quality - and some pastors could say much without a great deal of time, and some could keep a lengthy sermon interesting.


As to style of sermon, there about as many different styles as there are pastors.  The style of the sermon is very important - whether to converse, project, be loud, be soft, plead, cajole, or be tender.  The better pastors tended to vary their style through the sermon.  However, the most important factor I observed was whether the pastor could be himself - rather than pretend to be someone else.  

Liturgical or Non-Liturgical

As I visited the churches, some asked me - what are some of the main differences you encountered? One of the biggest differences I encountered was between liturgical and non-liturgical churches.

As soon as I said that, some immediately knew what I was talking about, while most seemed confused and immediately asked what is a liturgical church?

A liturgical church follows a liturgy. Though liturgy is a Greek word which basically means ceremony, a liturgical church usually refers to a church that follows a script during the worship service, while a non-liturgical church, which often has an order of service, usually does not follow a script.

In most, though not all liturgical churches, the script for the liturgy is set by the denomination from the central bureaucracy, so that all the churches of that denomination follows the same script (though some variations are allowed). In contrast, while non-liturgical churches may follow some sort of a script, it is usually developed at the local level.

When you attend a liturgical church, the script is usually provided to you in a missal, in a prayer book, in the bulletin, or some other manner. If you attend a non-liturgical church, if there is a script, it might not be provided, or if it is, it is either in the bulletin, or these days, projected.

However, most visitors notice other aspects that indicate a liturgical or non-liturgical church. In liturgical churches, the priests or pastors tend to wear ceremonial robes, while in non-liturgical churches they do not. Liturgical churches tend to sing hymns, while non-liturgical churches focus more and more on contemporary music. Liturgical churches tend to a more elaborate Communion (Eucharist) portion of the service than non-liturgical churches. Liturgical churches tend to be much more ornate than non-liturgical churches. Liturgical churches tend to have a more formal service while non-liturgical services tend to be much more informal.

Many liturgical churches have tried to diverge by having a traditional service and a separate contemporary service. In the meantime, some non-liturgical churches have incorporated some liturgical elements into their service.

Liturgical or non-liturgical is not a Catholic-Protestant dividing line. While Catholic churches are liturgical, many Protestant churches follow a liturgical service, including Episcopals, Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Methodists, among others.

Church attendees tend to have strong feelings about this. Some strongly prefer a liturgical (traditional) service, while others strongly prefer a non-liturgical (contemporary) service. It often depends on their background and good or bad experiences they had in the past.

I enjoyed both during my visits. To the extent I could, I tried to alternate and go to a liturgical service one Sunday, followed by a non-liturgical service the next Sunday. I found a richness in both traditions, and did not see them as necessarily in conflict. I appreciated both traditions.

Agree More Than Disagree

Visiting all the churches in town confirmed to me that we agree on much more than we disagree. Sometimes it's a matter of where we place our focus. If we focus on areas of agreement, then we will tend to look for and find areas of agreement. If we focus on areas of disagreement, then we will tend to look for and find areas of disagreement. Of course, it's a lot easier to focus on areas of agreement if they outnumber the areas of disagreement, and that is what I found reconfirmed as I visited all the churches.

I don't mean we should overlook areas of disagreements. What I mean is we should put those disagreements in some sort of context, and weigh them against all the areas of agreement. Otherwise, our focus quickly gets sidetracked to areas of disagreements, and we can quickly get lost in what tends to become an ensuing spiral. We tend to lose all perspective on what we did, or might otherwise, agree on. More importantly, we tend to lose all or any sense of unity and love.

A very large area of agreement which almost all orthodox Christian churches agree on are

the doctrines found in the Nicene Creed, which some traditions recite every Sunday (and others recite less often - and some not at all). If we focus on these areas of agreement, it tends to put our areas of disagreement in perspective. We don't tend to think of the Nicene Creed as a set of doctrines because it was written in simple manner but yet addresses profound areas of philosophical questions and problems, as well as address deep matters of doctrines such as the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and many other doctrinal matters. Though I don't have the time and space here to discuss it at length, I have posted about the Nicene Creed in my other blog (in four parts) - here are the links:

http://rudyrentzel.blogspot.com/2010/08/nicene-creed-intro.html
http://rudyrentzel.blogspot.com/2010/11/nicene-creed-part-1.html
http://rudyrentzel.blogspot.com/2010/11/nicene-creed-part-2.html
http://rudyrentzel.blogspot.com/2010/12/nicene-creed-part-3.html

The Joy of Fellowship

I haven't posted for a while since I have been busy helping to start a new church, The Vine Church of Petaluma.

In my last post, I mentioned I would offer my general observations and conclusions from visiting the various churches. So this is my first post on that.

I had a great time visiting all the churches in Petaluma. I really enjoyed meeting and spending at least a bit of time with all the brothers and sisters in Christ in all of the various churches who love the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course I didn't meet all of them, though in some smaller churches I did.

There is joy in fellowship, and I experienced some of that. It wasn't the sort of fellowship you experience when you join a church body, and develop relationships with the members of that body. However, I experienced a different sort of fellowship since there are so many Christians throughout Petaluma. It felt a little bit like heaven when we will be with Christians from every nation and from throughout the ages. I really enjoyed talking with Christians from the different churches, and finding out what was going on in their lives, and in the life of their church.

Almost Conclusion

Well, I completed my journey of visiting all the churches in Petaluma within the parameters I set forth in my Introduction. Altogether (and in summary), I visited (or attendeed) 33 churches, which I list below in alphabetical order (excluding the words The/A/De or Church/Iglesia, but including the word Petaluma if that is the first word in a name). (If I attended or visited a church more than once, I list my last attendance, or visit, and you can follow the links there to any earlier attendances or visits.) (Since St. is an abbreviation for Saint, I will use the full word.) (All dates are for 2011.) You can review this list to see if you missed a church you might be interested in knowing about. If you think I missed a church (that fits the parameters in my Introduction), let me know.

• 360 Church of Petaluma (October 2nd)
• Adobe Christian Center (November 13th)
• Iglesia Apostolico (March 20th)
• Iglesia Bautista de Petaluma (September 4th)
• Calvary Chapel (August 28th)
• A Church of Christ in Petaluma (May 22nd)
• Iglesia de Christo El Renuevo (December 4th)
• Eastside Church (August 14th)
• Elim Lutheran Church (February 13th)
• First Baptist Church (July 17th)
• First Presbyterian Church (July 3rd)
• Hessel Church (July 24th)
• Hillside Church (October 23rd)
• Living Word (Evangelical) Lutheran Church (August 28th)
• New Life Christian Fellowship (June 26th)
• New Life Seventh Day Adventist Church (February 5th)
• Open Door Christian Church (September 11th)
• Penngrove Community Church (September 30th)
• Petaluma Christian Church (June 19th)
• Petaluma United Methodist Church (July 10th)
• Petaluma Valley Baptist Church (March 13th)
• River of Joy (Fellowship) (Petaluma) (October 15th)
• St. James Catholic Church (November 27th)
• St. John's Anglican Church (March 27th)
• St. John's Episcopal Church (June 12th)
• St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church (May 29th)
• St. Mary's Chapel (August 7th)
• St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church (April 3rd)
• The Salvation Army (Church) (November 6th)
• Sovereign Grace Baptist Church (April 17th)
• United Church of Christ (January 30th)
• The Vine Church of Petaluma (November 20th)
• Village Baptist Church (January 16th)

Several of you have asked what I have learned from this journey. I will offer my general observations and conclusions in some upcoming posts.

Iglesia De Christo El Renuevo

This last Sunday (Dec. 4th), I visited Iglesia De Christo El Renuevo at 963 Transport Way. This is a Spanish pentecostalist church, similar to Iglesia Apostolico which I visited back in March, though different. They average about 25 members in attendance on Sundays, with mixed ages.

The pastor is Luis Signor. I believe he told me he is from Guatemala.

Spanish pentecostalists tend to have very lively and emotional services, though at times, the music slows down to allow a very intense connection with God and the Holy Spirit. It seems to work well in the Hispanic culture, which may explain why pentecostalism is one of the fastest growing church movements in Latin America. The service goes about 2 and a half hours, so plan accordingly if you visit.

They are part of a much larger organization called Ministerios Ebenezer. I am not sure what that is, but when I do a search on the web, they seem to be all over Latin America.

St. James Catholic Church - Roman Catholic Church History

I attended St. James Catholic Church this Sunday (Nov. 27th), and played guitar at their guitar mass. Since I wrote before about my attendance there (on Feb. 21st, May 10th, and Oct. 14th), on different aspects of the church, this time I will focus on the history of the Roman Catholic Church (often simply called the Catholic Church - though that term can apply to serveral churches/denominations).

The Roman Catholic Church ("RCC") is the largest Christian church (denomination) in the world at over a billion members, with roughly 74 million members in the United States. The word "catholic" derives from a Greek word which means universal, and so the early church called itself catholic - meaning the universal church. All christian churches derive their roots from this early catholic church (or Catholic Church), and most of those which are not Roman Catholic broke away from it (or were forced out) at some point or other in history.

The RCC teaches that it's history goes back to when Jesus told St. Peter he was the rock He would build His church upon. According to tradition, St. Peter became the first bishop of Rome, the first Pope (papa in Latin - a child's term for father) according to RCC teaching. The RCC teaches the following 264 Popes, down to the current Benedict XVI, follow in a direct line of succession (spiritual - not blood). In addition, it teaches that all of its bishops are successors to the original apostles. (Its' priests serving under the bishops.)

Obviously, the RCC has a very long history and tradition, which I do not have the time and space to review here. Needless to say, there have been good points in that history as well as bad points, which even the most ardent Catholic believer acknowledges. However, the vast majority of Catholics, whether traditional, liberal, charismatic, evangelical, nominal, cultural, folk, or other type of Catholic, feels an intense loyalty to, and love for, the Roman Catholic Church, even with all of what they acknowledge as its faults. Since I have been reconnecting to my Catholic roots, I have to say I have been almost stunned by the spiritual depth of many of my Catholic brothers and sisters.