Sometimes it is good to venture outside the walls of Veritas, just to see how others worship. A few weeks ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to do just that. I attended Sunday morning worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ at Agape Church, located in Lagune, Haiti.
As I attempt to paint for you a mental picture of my experience, I have two objectives:
(1) Demonstrate how different people groups have incredibly similar methods for worshiping God — worship that aligns with biblical teaching.
(2) Point out the complexities that we as Americans require of our local churches — complexities that don’t necessarily point toward Christ, but are directed inward to ourselves.
Here is my experience…
Parking was easy and convenient. We parked alongside two other vehicles on a dusty patch of dirt the school kids used for playing soccer... no parking ramps, no designated spaces, no parking meters, no fees. A family of five arrived at about the same time. They rode in on a motorcycle. One child on the gas tank between dad’s arms and the handlebars, one child sandwiched between dad and mom, the littlest child sitting on mom’s knee. That was taking ride sharing to a whole other level. They showed us the preferred parking location for Haitians was under the shade of a mango tree. The other people walked a mile or two from their homes to attend church.
The building was a dual-purpose space. During the week, it served as an open-air classroom for elementary students. The dirt floor was packed hard from years of foot traffic. Rough sawn wooden benches were worn smooth from countless hours of sitting. The corrugated tin roof provided shade as the sun rose overhead. The temperature in the morning was a comfortable 75 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. By the end of the service, the benches exposed to sunshine were just short of melting. Everyone in attendance was thankful for the light breeze that swept through the shelter, carrying with it the scent of hand-picked lavender the ladies carried.
The dress code was clean and bright. Families were washed and groomed, even though they had just emerged from homes without running water, bathrooms, laundry, kitchens, or closets. Little girls wore white dresses with plastic beads in their hair. Little boys wore bright colored shirts that were cleaned and pressed. Men removed their caps and put on ties. Women removed their aprons and put on shoes. Their clothes were not fancy, stylish, or showy; the clothes were simply the best people had to wear. I appreciated the conscious efforts people made to present themselves ready to worship God.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
Adult Sunday school started promptly at 8:00am with a lay elder reading from scripture and then explaining the application of the text. I was quickly handed an English bible and was expected to follow along, even though the lesson was spoken in Creole. No hiding, nor special treatment in this class. After an hour of discussion, everyone participated in reciting the scripture verse and committing it to memory.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, (Colossians 3:16a)
Children’s Sunday school took place inside an adjoining elementary classroom. Toddlers through 6th graders met together in a single class. Older siblings cared for their younger brothers and sisters. When Sunday school finished, the children quietly marched in a single file across the courtyard to join the adults. Once everyone was settled, the instructor asked the children to stand and recite their memory verse of the day. After the teacher was satisfied with the children’s response, she then turned and addressed the adults, whereby we stood and recited our memory verse back to the children… no hiding, nor special treatment for the adults here either.
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
Worship began with a lay elder standing in the aisle and singing a hymn. No instruments… only the voices of the body singing hymns in two-part harmony. No percussion… only the elder snapping his fingers and the congregation clapping our hands. Multiple verses of classic hymns were sung from memory… no hymnals, no screens, no microphones, no amplifiers… just a joyous sound expressed with gladness and thanksgiving.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! (Psalm 100:1-2)
Hospitality came in the form of singing Happy Birthday to two individuals and corporate prayer for two families absent from the service due to illnesses. In the midst of the discussion, a Haitian man sat down next to me and began to translate. For the next hour and a half, he translated word for word into English. What an incredible blessing of hospitality and love shown toward a foreigner.
You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:34)
Everyday missionaries were heralded. Members of the church had distributed packaged drinking water to many of the 400 Haitian refugees who were displaced by gang violence from Mirebalais into their community. What a sacrificial display of generosity from people who have very little, sharing basic necessities with people who have even less. What an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people placed in their community by God.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:20)
Teaching was about “enduring suffering for the glory of God.” The memorized sermon was forceful and fast. The content was rich with Old and New Testament texts. Listening to God’s Word was not new to this crowd. They sat and took in truth with no distractions…no coffee cups, no drink mugs, no snacks, no iPads, no cell phones, no coloring books, no distractions, just Bibles on laps and eyes on the preacher. For an hour and a half, the only person to get up out of their seat was a 2-year-old toddler who escaped her mother’s grasp and attempted to run up the center aisle. She made it past three rows of benches before a church elder scooped her up with a big smile and bounced her on his knee for the remainder of the sermon.
But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
An Offering was taken by passing a plate. Physical currency is not common in Haiti. Most people barter for goods they receive. Some people gave; others did not. The Haitian gourdes that made it into the plate were all wadded up into little balls. I don’t know how much the paper balls were worth, but I’m pretty sure most were given more sacrificially than my offering.
Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on. (Mark 12:43b-44)
Praise songs closed out our meeting. The wife of an elder led the body in singing. It struck me how universal the melody of old gospel hymns sound. Everyone sang, clapped, and raised their hands to the Lord. When energy was needed, the rhythm doubled. When someone began to clap, others joined with syncopation. A joyous noise was lifted to the Lord. It reminded me of Veritas.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
The Café was opened for business the moment the church service was finished. Several of the children headed to the mango tree. A few of the boys used the parked motorcycle as a stepladder to start the climb upward through the branches. The rest of the children remained on the ground waiting to catch fruit as it fell from above. In the end, all of the children had a juicy snack for their walk back home.
I am thankful for the opportunity to worship with the body of believers at Agape Church. I am thankful for the reminder to worship in all circumstances, suffer well in the Lord’s name, and give sacrificially to those around us. I pray you find opportunities to get outside your comfort zone from time to time to witness God at work.