Saddleback (Part 4)

Worship in the Café

While I had had a good conversation with Carol the café worker earlier in the afternoon, no one had said a word to me in the worship center, so I came to the next venue itching a bit for human contact.  For the most part, these folks in the café kept to themselves though.  People were coupled up or sitting by themselves at individual tables as the same contemporary Christian music from the worship center piped into the café.  Of course, it probably didn’t help that, for the first time on this journey, I was typing directly into my laptop.  (Hey, I did two churches this past weekend, so anything to save a little typing/editing time.)  Worshipping out in the café was definitely an experiment for me on several levels.  I hadn’t really experimented with taking church out of the sanctuary like that yet, and again, this was my first time keeping my laptop open in a worship setting, so I was curious to see how it affected my experience.  Tables definitely had an odd effect and made for a somewhat antisocial dynamic.  It was strange that we were all facing different screens.  Everyone sitting in the room was angled in a slightly different direction and paid attention to different screen on different walls as a result.  Of course, I was also right across from a bickering middle aged couple, and that probably didn’t help matters.  The couple on my right seemed more my speed: younger and covered in tattoos.  I wondered what brought them to this predominantly middle aged and older congregation; I would’ve asked, but it almost felt like an invasion of privacy in this setting, especially since they were angled inward and having their own private conversation.  My friend Carol was nowhere in sight either, and the new concession stand attendant was nowhere near as friendly-- one of those willing volunteers who longs to serve but hasn’t quite mastered being joyful about it.  I also couldn’t escape the fear that the setting sun was going to dip below the roof at any moment and char my Irish skin to a crisp.  I decided that, if this happened, I would bite the bullet and ask to join the bickering middle aged couple.

This crowd was definitely a bit younger than the group in the worship center.  There were quite a few middle aged adults and a few younger couples as well, and the attire was even more casual-- lots of t-shirts and shorts.  Racially and socio-economically, this group seemed pretty similar to the 4:30 worshipers though, but there was a willingness to come and go, moving about the room and drifting in and out throughout the service.

The same introductory worship video played, and conversation in the room continued at a lower level.  The room was largely silent as Rick Muchow came on screen and cued the musicians into “America,” and the song somehow bothered me even more coming in over the loudspeakers.  Of course, it was also at this point that, to flee the setting sun, I moved to the other side of my table.  Somehow, the choir seemed a little more tired this time around.  Also, the instrumentation sounded somewhat off-pitch coming in over the speakers.  The levels were pretty off, with a little too much volume given to the piano and the soprano section, making for a slightly empty sound.  They came again to that last verse.  “As he died to make men holy, let us live to make men free. . . .”  The room seemed to nod in approval to this, and conversations continued.  A few in the café clapped as the song reached its conclusion, but they stopped quickly, seeming to realize that they were drawing attention to themselves.

Helen came out to deliver the announcements again and encouraged people to turn and greet one another (which most folks in the café did not do).  She mentioned the information cards available in the worship center and hit the same announcements from earlier.  I had heard these announcements, so I sort of zoned out as I noticed the mountains in the distance.  It’s sort of hard to pay attention in surroundings that pretty if you’re not used to them.  Helen slipped up a bit and had a mental block on the name of the Harvest Crusade before playing the video again.  Wow, they actually put a functional waterfall in the Angels’ stadium for the event-- didn’t notice that before.  Again with the waterfalls!  You know, since I’m so much faster at typing than writing, I was actually getting to notice a lot more of the service with the laptop than I would with the notebook.  That seemed almost a little counterintuitive (particularly since I had facebook open out of force of habit).

The band launched into “Jesus Messiah” for the second time, and the choir seemed to have found their groove again, many of them lifting their hands in celebration as they sang.  Even the levels seemed a little more in order after that rough introduction.  One downside of the café was that I could not tell how much the congregation there in the worship center was singing since all the microphones in the room were on the choir.  Almost no one in the café was singing along though.  Other than a few people sort of mouthing the words, it seemed that we were really just worship spectators.

Rick Warren’s welcome and message about the Vietnamese council began playing on video after the worship leader’s awkward introduction of, “Hey, you guys watch this.”  Rick’s voice echoed oddly as we heard the recording being rebroadcast into our somewhat acoustically-inferior environment.  People in the café were milling around a bit, but the conversations had largely stopped, and people seemed to be paying attention.  They were nodding in approval, particularly when Rick started talking about needing to admit to yourself that you were struggling.

The band sang “Blessed Be Your Name” again.  You know, I didn’t really notice it before, but Rick Muchow (the worship leader) isn’t exactly a spring chicken.  Still, he emotes well and seems quite in tune with the music.  I never saw any flashy hand-raising or over-emoting.  He just sang melodically and soothingly to the music, acknowledging the setting as a serious one, but still appearing to enjoy the aspects of celebration.  He’s what I’d call a pro.

The video resumed, and the Rick Warren of two hours ago jumped forward through time and launched into his sermon once again.  The people watching in the café didn’t laugh quite as willingly as those in the worship center had, and many seemed glued to the television screens or to their notes.  In fact, while I’m sure that those in the worship center were taking diligent notes, it was far more noticeable out in the café.  A few people were still turning and talking to one another quietly, and there was the occasional “mmm” of agreement, but other than that, there was an oddly enforced silence in the café.  The description of “body of death” got a few more vocal “ew”s from this crowd.  Rick’s mention of Laguna Beach got a clap or two from one table.  There were a few hushed “yea-ah”s when Rick used the “Our sex life is great” line.  When Rick hit the memory verse, a few people mouthed it along with him, and when he prayed, the people in the café also bowed their heads.

Just as people left the worship center during the offering, the café also cleared out pretty quickly, and conversations began again the second Rick’s prayer ended.  The concession stand attendants started packing up and closing down as people departed amid the closing song.  It seemed that no one cared about sticking around for this final act of worship, but since I had a bit of an agenda of my own, I was fine with people clearing out.

The Superfast Saddleback Internet Extravaganza

I don’t know whether someone blessed the Saddleback router or something, but they have hands-down the fastest internet connection I have ever seen.  Faster than my apartment.  Faster than Duke.  Faster than anywhere.  When I uploaded a photo onto the blog, it was up instantaneously, and now I’m a little scared everywhere else will seem like a snail’s pace by comparison.  Even though I loved staying with the Gausmans (my host family for the weekend) and found their accommodations to be some of the most pleasant and relaxing so far on my journey, their net connection was nowhere near this efficient.  Hell, NORAD’s net connection is probably nowhere near this efficient.  I decided to linger at Saddleback and take advantage of this opportunity for a little skype time with a certain special someone back in North Carolina.  Of course, this is also when I discovered the unfortunate reality that is Murphy’s law of church hospitality: You will never be left alone when you want to be left alone.

As I sat there on facebook, talking to Erin and waiting for the café to clear out so that I could start up a skype conversation with her, I was greeted by one of the friendliest salt-of-the-earth middle aged women I have encountered so far in a church visit.  Another volunteer in the café, Gloria was dressed casually and had a smile that could’ve cut through the Berlin Wall.  She had short black hair and a slightly larger face and frame, and when she smiled, the upward turn of her cheeks reduced her eyes to a cheerful squint that absolutely radiated joy wherever she happened to be looking.  Gloria welcomed me to Saddleback and asked a bit about my travels, and she nodded along as I spoke and agreed with me that it really was a great opportunity.  When I asked about her involvement with the church, she told me about how much she loves the facilities there.  The relaxing café, the trendy “Refinery” student center, the peaceful pathways, palms, and waterfalls-- to Gloria, Saddleback is a truly worthy house of worship and a wonderful environment to find peace.  When I told her that I was mostly hanging around to take advantage of the internet connection, she recommended that I head over to the Refinery to have a more comfortable setting than the café.  The Refinery would offer more comfortable chairs, air conditioning, a few dining options, and plenty of places to plug in a laptop.  Gloria was practically giddy as she informed me, “I know I probably seem a little out of place over there at first glance, but I’m there all the time!  I just love it there!  They have to kick me out every night when they close.”  We talked for a bit longer about Saddleback, and even though I was eager to wrap up the conversation so that I could talk to Erin, I picked up a very important insight:

I realize that I often regard expansive facilities and elegant worship venues with a bit of suspicion, but this exchange with Gloria reminded me that a beautiful building can still be a ministry.  Sometimes, people need a peaceful space, a place to get away from the struggles of daily life, and Saddleback’s resort-like atmosphere certainly offers that.  Gloria was there by herself, and if she’s really there as often as she said, then maybe she doesn’t have a family to come home to at night.  The church was providing her with a space that felt like home, a place to relax and unwind and be around people.  Maybe we need to be cognizant of that when examining some of the more extravagant megachurches.  Maybe it’s okay to have a pretty facility with all the waterfalls and palm trees and such.  Maybe good Christians like Gloria need that from the Church.

Gloria departed, and even though a few people were still mingling on the far side of the café, it was time for the highlight of my evening.  I opened up skype on my laptop, and as the sun set over the Southern California horizon, I got to spend a few hours talking to Erin in extra-crisp detail thanks to the Saddleback wifi network.  I was even able to walk around with my laptop and show her a bit of the campus.  You know, as weirded out as I am by watching sermons on a screen, when you haven’t seen someone you really care about in a long time, the screen is better than nothing.  I guess technology has its advantages like that.  We talked for a long time about the church and everything else under the sun, and as Saddleback’s campus grew dark, lights came on all over the place, illuminating the palms and pathways.  We wrapped up out conversation, and I started walking toward my car.

With my laptop safely stowed in my messenger bag, I walked down the main stairs of the campus toward the distant parking lot.  There was a bubbling waterfall on my left, and the sun had passed below the horizon with only the faintest bands of light still visible.  The evening breeze caused a peaceful rustling among the palm trees, and the air was still pleasantly warm with just the right amount of humidity.  I was thinking about Saddleback and about my experiences so far on this trip and about the future and about Erin and about a whole slew of things.  I had just walked past the kids’ building when I heard a noise in the bushes and saw a glint of white.  I had no idea what it was so I waited cautiously for a second in case it was anything dangerous.  The bear-killing knife was in the car and out of reach, so I was prepared to keep my distance for a bit.  The noise came again, and I saw what had caused it.

Out from among the tall grass scampered a small rabbit, its white tail catching the gleam of a nearby lamp.  It paused for a moment and looked in my direction before scurrying off into the bushes.  Erin says that rabbits remind her of God’s presence, so every time I see one, I think of her, but I also think of God, and I can’t help but be grateful.

I have to admit that my experience at Saddleback was a mixed bag.  I like Rick Warren, but I had found a few points in his sermon that kind of aggravated me (especially the depression thing).  The patriotic music had also gotten under my skin a bit, but there was a lot of fodder for good conversation underneath it all.  The church has a beautiful campus, and my conversation with Gloria showed me that, sometimes, just providing a space can be a ministry.  I was amazed at all that Saddleback does overseas, but I also wondered about their involvement with LA itself.  The church did have a lot of service opportunities, but so many of those were in-house (greeters, workshop leaders, and such).  Like many of the more evangelical megas, much of the church’s focus seemed to be on helping folks find Christ, and there wasn’t as much attention on hunger and local missions during the service.  Of course, I guess you could argue that, with the low poverty rate in its immediate neighborhood, Saddleback's ministries are designed to meet a different set of needs there in Lake Forest.  In fact, Saddleback provides a huge number of support groups for all sorts of specialized situations: cancer, depression, MS, single parents, grief, HIV/AIDS, parents of children with special needs, etc.  Also, they are well known as the originators of the Celebrate Recovery program, which is designed to help people coping with a number of addictions and is being used by a number of churches across America (including Mosaic and the Seattle Mars Hill).

I have to admit that I really didn't know what to make of worship in the cafe, and a few people I talked to later on suggested that being a spectator like that wasn't "real" worship, but as I think I made clear in my post on ministerial snobbery, that's a term I'd like to avoid.  Still, the cafe was kind of a weird experience, and I'm not sure I was really feeling it.  Of course, my perspective on the church might also be a little skewed because Saddleback’s target demographic is just a little older than I am, so maybe watching a service in the comfort of a café would feel a lot more worshipful for someone else-- maybe a baby-boomer more like Gloria or Carol.  There’s a lot to be learned from Saddleback, and I’m certainly not done studying the church, its programs, its outreach philosophies, and its celebrity pastor.  Still, this was not the only church I visited this past weekend, so on to Mosaic . . .

Peace and Blessings,

Tom