Musical Chairs

I've attended the Sunday service at Iglesia Luterana Amigos de Cristo in Santo Domingo, DR, twice now in the past month. Both times I was struck by how well Brazilian Alliance missionary pastor Lucas and his wife Agatha are doing at building bridges into the community, and building community, but yesterday's experience merits sharing. 

Shortly after I walked in about half an hour early, guitar instructor Miguel led a small circle of kids in a short lesson (no, this isn't what the title refers to...keep reading!). 

On the other side of the sanctuary, a larger group of kids clustered around Lucas as he coached them through a voice lesson. In the absence of enough guitars to go around, it was the beginnings of a coro! I'm tone deaf so give it a listen for yourself, but I thought they sounded great during the opening hymn. 

The service progressed normally right up through the Epistle reading. Instead of acclaiming the Gospel with three Alleluias right away, though, Lucas brought things to a halt. He stepped down from the altar to the same level as the rows of chairs and stated that he needed everyone's help. He asked us to look around at the number of kids in attendance. They filled the front several rows on the right side, maybe 40 in all. 

Then, it was time for musical chairs. Lucas exhorted the adults present to physically get up and move so that there was an open seat between them and the next adult, soon to be occupied by a child(ren). In Lucas's words, we as adults know how to navigate the service folder and hymn booklet, how to quickly locate Scripture passages given the book, chapter, and verse. Children are still learning these things and in helping them follow along and look up readings, we "train up a child in the way he should go," (Proverbs 22:6). This is what we do as brothers and sisters in Christ. Admiring his flock a few minutes later, Lucas said "Ahora, veo una iglesia," ("Now, I see a church"). 

I moved from one side of the sanctuary to the other and wound up with a girl in a yellow T-shirt and jeans seated next to me. When it was time for communion, she eagerly asked if she could accompany me. She did and received a blessing, then doubled dipped when Lucas invited all the kids up once all the confirmed members had received the Sacrament!

It was a beautiful, memorable service between these and other Kodak moments, like Lucas preaching from the center aisle and taking questions at the end of his sermon to celebrating two members' birthdays so animatedly that we could barely get through the closing hymn amid hugs and photos. After the service, the entire kid contingent stuck around for Sunday school, while seminarian Kevin and the adults formed a separate circle of chairs. 

Praise God for the Alliance missionary program and for Lucas & Agatha's budding work at Amigos de Cristo (I didn't even touch on sports outreach or Portuguese classes), and pray for the faith of all who congregate there!

Until next time, blessings!