Salvation Army
Location: Timaru, corner Wai-iti and Otipua Roads.
Denomination: Salvation Army
Website:
www.salvationarmy.org.nz
Church Services:
Groups: Home League, Teen night, Women’s group,
Promise Keepers
My own visit
Date: 10 October 04
Service: 10.30 Worship service
The building: The church is wedged between two major roads. It is part of a complex, such as separate hall, opportunity shop and offices. There are plants around the car-park areas. Access is from two car-parks at different sides of the building. Painted in a light beige colour, the large windows with grained glass mark it out as a church building.
The décor: The words “PRAISE THE LORD IN THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS” stand out prominently at the front. The walls are held in white and beige while the ceiling is lined with wood. There were quite a few flowers around the church. The front podium is raised, though the ceiling is lower there. Flags flank this podium and give it the necessary impressive look. The floor is covered by a red carpet throughout the church. People sat on pews padded by a beige plastic cover.
Smiling face at the door: I was welcomed at the door, though found it a bit strange not to get anything pushed into my hand.
Start of service: The band was playing. After that we were welcomed and encouraged to greet each other. One member introduced himself and continued to sit beside me throughout the service. We then started with some worship songs, apparently chosen independently of the main service. Quite a few of those were actually accompanied by tape.
Congregation (approx) 0-12: 10; 13-20: 5; 20-40: 15; 40-60: 10; 60+: 20
Liturgy: none
Music: We sang a mix of modern choruses and good old hymns. On this occasion they focused mainly on our personal relationship with Jesus. Some songs by prominent Christian singers were also played. The words were displayed on the overhead. Some of the older hymns came from a hymnbook which was pulled out by those in the congregation that had trouble reading the words up front. Most hymns and choruses were accompanied by the piano and the band. The band sounded great! They played some good stuff, but also knew how to accompany the singing effectively.
To the side there were two lead-singers singing into microphones, but they did
not overpower the congregational singing. This was done more by the preacher, who
sang into the lectern microphone.
The sound system in the church is quite good.
Instruments: piano, 2 trumpets, 2 tubas, 1 trombone, drums
Children’s Talk: Miracles: we often look for something truly amazing. But all of you are miracles. God can make miraculous things happen each day. Poem about seeds sprouting, chickens hatching from eggs, the newborn calf frolicking around the paddock, the drunkard finding Jesus and changing his ways concluded that the greatest miracle of all was God becoming human and dying for us.
Sermon:
-Length: 21 minutes
-Method: After setting the context of the bible reading,
the preacher concentrated especially in applying it to our own lives. He repeatedly
asked direct questions, such as: “Are you abiding in him? Are there areas in
your life that God has to prune?” The preacher concluded with a prayer, and
a song of response.
-Bible reading: John 15:1-11
-Content: Jesus was also speaking about Israel, the nation. The vine is a symbol of Israel (see Ezekiel). It portrays the spiritual relationship between God and Israel. The vine’s one and only purpose is to bear fruit. At that point in time Israel was ripe and its fruit was rotten.
The preacher then retold the story: Jesus and disciples after the Last Supper were going out of Jerusalem and passing some vineyards. Jesus picked up one of the pruned branches and said to his disciples: “See this branch. That’s just like Israel. It is there to produce fruit but has failed. But I am the true vine.”
Jesus was the Messiah. He was the fullest revelation of the hope of Israel. The Lord did not fail. Here Jesus proclaimed the secret of the Christian life: You in me – I in you.
God expects us to produce fruit in his vineyard. God expected grapes of righteousness from Israel, but instead there was oppression, cruelty and exploitation.
What fruit are we producing for God? Only if we allow the Holy Spirit into our life can we produce fruits of Christ-likeness.
God cuts out the resentment, bitterness and arrogance. Those things he prunes from our lives. The Christian life cannot be lived in the power of the flesh. The flesh only produces rotten grapes.
The fruit God is looking for is Christ-likeness. Everything in the Christian life depends on the relationship with Jesus.
Some try to live a good life in their own strength – and will fail. We can only do it trough the strength of God. He seeks a relationship with us. It can only happen if we abide in him and let him abide in us.
Christ does not command us to bear fruit, but to abide. Fruit will come naturally. The more you love him, the more you want to abide in him.
We should not resist God’s pruning in our life. When we trust in Jesus and obey his word, then things start to happen.
Other Highlights: The service focused pretty much on the singing and the lesson.
Wrap-up: Two songs were sung after the sermon. The preacher and a few people moved out, but the majority stayed to listen to the band playing “People need the Lord” by Steve Green (?), and quite well at that. The words were displayed on the overhead. Only then did people start to move out.
After the service: Most people seemed to disappear straight away. Others stayed and chatted in the foyer, while the children played in the hall.
Quality of morning tea: Tea and coffee was available from a small trolley in the foyer. Not any biscuits that I could spot. However the trolley was a bit inaccessible due to people standing around it and I decided to talk and leave rather than try to get some tea.
Reflection: The music was a treat.
Somehow I noticed that in all the prayers God was addressed as "Lord". There are circles in the wider church where this is frowned upon, as "Lord" implies someone masculine, authoritative and dominant. But it seemed that people in this church used it mainly to profess that God has control over their lives, as both a term of submission and trust. That's what it should be. Being such an ancient term, it can be applied to our relationship with God, and the problem probably rather lies with modern feminist thinking than the traditional form of prayer.
4 questions:
Jesus’ death and resurrection are the victory over death. Our whole Christian
lives are determined by it.
Yes, but there’s more. We are called to be holy.
Essentially this church makes people work. There are many positions of responsibility.
No. This is because we believe that man and woman were made for each other.