Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Field Notes April 11
Field Notes April 11
Sunday School:
I sit next to LT in the second pew. She says There are unspoken rules in this church—
that I should sit there for the class, but I’ll need social customs that I need to find out so that I
to move when church starts. There’s a woman can observe them. I notice, as the other ladies
who comes every Sunday and “that pew has come in, that everyone sits in the same seat as
her name on it.” last week. Where do I fit in? Fortunately, LT
seems to have appointed herself as my guide.
I notice that LT has a book titled the KJV So far, I have seen churchgoers taking notes in
Standard Lesson Commentary 2009-2010. She Bibles, the Sunday school booklet, personal
says, “My son gave me this. It really helps composition books, the Worship Program, and
me.” supplemental resources like this book. I would
estimate that adult Sunday school students
spend anywhere from 10 minutes to over an
hour studying for the lesson each week.
In this case, a younger family member is
helping support the religious education of an
older family member. Within families,
educational support is fluid.
When Jimmy Breeze comes in to start the I don’t ask LT if she saves these programs, but
Sunday school opening, he hands us our I’m 95% sure she does. She makes notes on it
Worship programs. LT immediately writes her throughout the service.
name on the cover of hers.
LT opens her Sunday school booklet, and I During the Sunday school class, almost
noticed that today’s lesson is also marked up— everyone is taking these types of notes. During
words are circled, passages underlined, and the sermon, at about 50% of the congregation
there are notes on top of the page. seems to be taking notes.
Harry Turner rings the bell to signal the This happens during the service too. Members
beginning of Sunday school and we get up to who attend regularly seem to know the words
sing the Sunday school song. Everyone knows to most of the hymns that are rotated through
the words except for me. The song isn’t the services.
printed anywhere.
I love the Sunday school song. “Go to Sunday
school. Go to Sunday school!”
At one point in the lesson, we are discussing Students often refer to other relevant passages
lust of the eyes. LT gives the example of from the Bible. The text is viewed as having
David and Bathsheba. unifying elements throughout. I am constantly
being surprised by how quickly these women
can recall and quote scripture.
When Sunday school started, there were only 5 HT mentioned that he is always trying to get
people, but there were 15+ by the time we people to come on time. Rather than have to
reconvened for the closure. cut the service short because we start late, the
service just continues as long as it needs to,
generally until 1 p.m. or so. This is different
from the Methodist church I attended growing
up. There, everything was carefully timed out.
Here, if the choir is improvising and the
congregation is charged up with energy, a
hymn can go on until it winds down naturally.
The service is structured the same way every
week, but no one is keeping time. Instead, the
enthusiasm of the choir and the preacher and
the responses of the congregation determine
how the service will go. Today was very high
energy—a lot of improvisation and
participation.
JB tells a story about a day that he ate cake for Using humor to make a point
breakfast lunch and dinner. This is a sin of the
flesh. We all laugh at the story.
JB asks the group what a question of the JB is not parsing words. He honors different
commandments. There are similar responses ways of describing the same concept.
phrased in different ways: “Love all men…”
“Do unto others…” He accepts them as the
same answer.
We look at our Bibles to review the ten Church members like to keep a record of what
commandments. Most people bring their own they learned and when they learned. Writing
Bibles, but I use the Bible in the pew. The ten pins down abstract concepts, conversations,
commandments are already highlighted. Later, and personal thoughts and renders them
when we turn to a different section of the text, tangible and permanent.
I find that it is highlighted with a date written
above it in pen.
JB: “Lust of the eyes is a misuse of the sense By rephrasing the scripture, JB helps me to
of beauty. Pride of life is misplaced ambition.” internalize the message of the lesson. It’s not
jargon anymore. Putting it in different words
makes it mean more.
When the preacher takes the pulpit to welcome The preacher is suggesting that taking notes is
the congregation, he encourages people to take a way make the lessons learned in church real.
notes. He points out the “Sermon Notes” The physical documents you carry out of the
section on the back of the Worship Program. church with you are reminders to continue
He says that note taking helps you remember to applying these lessons throughout the week.
take what you learn out into the world. He
encourages us to “smile at people on the street.
There is a call for visitors to introduce There is a lot of interaction during the service.
themselves. Two people stand up to introduce This is a time for people to explicitly introduce
themselves to the congregation. One is from themselves. Aside from this, the congregation
another town. They say their names, their is constantly responding to the sermon
home church, and their occupations. Everyone verbally, “Amen, you’re right, that’s the truth.”
applauds. I really like this. No one could fall asleep
during these services.
We follow the program. Interspersed with the This is a particularly “high energy” service.
benevolence, announcements, and responsive Everyone seems to have lost themselves to
reading. The choir sings at least five songs, music and religious fervor. I enjoy these
mostly gospel. The band, which consists of a moments, but I am pretty quiet compared to
keyboard, piano, percussionist, and bass player everyone else. Still, I stand up, clap, and
improvise a lot, “jamming out.” During two of participate as much as I am comfortable with
the songs, a lead singer is on the mic. Each of doing.
these singers has a lot of energy and
improvises a lot, letting the moment carry them
away. Everyone is standing, clapping,
dancing, singing, and shouting praise.