First United Methodist, Tempe, Arizona, USA

Mystery Worshipper: Amanda B. Reckondwyth
Church: First United Methodist, Tempe
Location: Arizona, USA
Date of visit: Sunday, 6 October 2024, 9:30am

What was the name of the service?

Worship Service, Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost, World Communion Sunday.

How full was the building?

I counted about 100 people at the start of the service, which made the sanctuary look about half full. Mostly elderly, mostly women. After the service started, a few more people came trickling in: a handful of college-age youth and one family with small children.

Did anyone welcome you personally?

Not really. A few people managed a ‘good morning’ as they passed me in the courtyard, but otherwise I was ignored.

Was your pew comfortable?

Yes – wooden pews upholstered in light brown.

How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?

Quiet at first. But as more people came in, they began to visit among themselves and it became quite festive after a while. The choir rehearsed a bit. I confess to knowing one gentleman in the choir. He spotted me after they were done rehearsing, and we chatted some. As service time approached, the altar candles were lit and the organist struck up a prelude: Meditation on ‘Slane’ by Gary R. Smoke. Very nice, and very nicely played.

What were the exact opening words of the service?

‘Good morning, everyone!’ followed by a meet and greet.

What books did the congregation use during the service?

United Methodist Hymnal. There was no handout – which was missed (see below)! Prayers and the words to hymns were projected.

What musical instruments were played?

Large electronic organ in the gallery (but the speakers were suspended from above the altar), nicely voiced and well played. A grand piano accompanied the choir anthem. The choir, who sang in street clothes, consisted of 15 mixed voices.

Did anything distract you?

Before the service began, the monitors displayed the message ‘Installing update package.’ I thought the installation was frozen, but then I noticed the progress bars moving slowly but surely. A gentleman (who turned out to be the pastor) fretted about from monitor to monitor. I’m sure he was wondering if the updates would be finished before service time (they were). One gentleman in the choir wore a hat, a fedora, as the choir was rehearsing. I remarked to my friend as we chatted after choir rehearsal that I would be charitable and assume that the gentleman was a Quaker. My friend said he’d speak to the choir director about it, and sure enough, the gentleman appeared hatless for the anthem. But I noticed he put it back on when the anthem was over.

Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?

A very sober but heartfelt celebration. The hymns were traditional. The choir anthem was ‘Amazing Grace’ by Douglas E. Wagner – not the usual New Britain tune we are accustomed to. The scripture reading was Mark 10:2-16 (Jesus speaks against divorce and blesses the children). There was a children’s talk on the subject of the Beatitudes – especially ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ The only children who attended were those who came in with the family who arrived late, and judging from the expressions on their faces and their fidgeting, I wondered if they understood what was being said. I was especially impressed with the communion service – see below.

Exactly how long was the sermon?

35 minutes.

On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?

6 — The pastor spoke clearly and glanced down often at his notes without reading from them. But I thought his talk was rather jumbled and could have been organized much more tightly.

In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?

The pastor spoke on the day’s reading from scripture and entitled his sermon ‘Such as these.’ The Pharisees presented Jesus with a difficult topic and tried to trick him with it. We all know families who grapple with a diversity of dynamics. Deuteronomy teaches that divorce is permissible when ‘something objectionable’ interferes with a relationship. But Jesus directed the conversation away from a mere consideration of the law and toward a higher principle. He spoke of God’s original intention for marriage – a lasting, committed relationship. We cannot always live up to God’s original design. Even so, we must turn our focus away from the law and toward the bond between people. This was not the only time that Jesus did this. Merely enforcing the law misses the point. And so it is too with children, who were regarded in those days as only marginally important until they became old enough to sire and give birth to more children. We must move away from this checkbox mentality and behave as Jesus wants us to behave. We are called to serve as we can, not as we can’t. We have been given a sacred opportunity – an opportunity to live in peace with others. How convenient it would be if there were only one kind of people in this world – our kind of people. But Jesus welcomes all, regardless of who they are, to gather at his side.

Which part of the service was like being in heaven?

The choir sounded really top-notch – and I don’t say this because I have a friend in the choir. I know what he sounds like – we both sing in the same choral group. But all of the choir sang exactly on pitch and with perfect intonation, and blended beautifully. It’s been a while since I’ve heard a church choir – especially one this size – sing this well. And I was very impressed with how communion was handled. There was a full sursum corda and preface – home-grown, I believe – followed by the Sanctus and a full eucharistic prayer – again home-grown. There was an epiclesis, and the words of institution were pronounced. There were two loaves of bread, each of which the pastor broke, wrapping each half in a corporal before handing them to the eucharistic ministers. They broke off a morsel of bread for each communicant, which we then intincted into a chalice of grape juice.

And which part was like being in... er... the other place?

I really can’t think of much to fault, except perhaps the choir member who forgot that his father taught him that gentlemen don’t wear hats in church, and the pastor’s tendency to ramble during the sermon. But I would have appreciated an order of service with hymn numbers included, or a hymn board displaying the numbers. As each hymn was announced, we had to fumble quickly through the hymnal to find the right page. Speaking for myself, each hymn was usually well under way before I found where it was. This was especially difficult at the offertory, as I had to juggle the hymnal and the envelope in which I had put my Mystery Worship calling card, and to be sure I had everything under control before the usher reached my pew with the plate.

What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?

The organist struck up a postlude, ‘Festival March, Op. 25, No. 1’ by Anthony Foote, and the entire congregation remained seated for the entire postlude. Not a soul budged! I’ve never seen this before in any church I’ve visited. But when the organist was finished, they applauded! Completely spoiled the mood. Then everyone got up and the visiting resumed, but I must have turned on my cloaking device by accident. Most people eventually made their way over to the parish hall, and I followed.

How would you describe the after-service coffee?

Today was the 50th anniversary of the congregation moving into the present building, and a special reception was laid out: coffee, juice, cake nicely decorated with representations both of the old and the new church building. It seemed a shame to cut through them. The cake – chocolate with white icing – was delicious. However, the coffee had some sort of spice in it – it may have been cinnamon – which spoiled its flavor for me. I tried to sit down with my cake and coffee at a table where a few women were sitting, but again my cloaking device was turned on high, so I ended up going outside to sit and enjoy the cake – but not the coffee, I’m afraid.

How would you feel about making another visit (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?

5 — Tempe is on the other side of town from me, and it’s a long drive. I don’t usually come over this way. But I wouldn’t mind stopping in again, perhaps on a festive occasion, if only to hear the excellent choir.

Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?

Yes.

What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time ?

How wonderfully communion was handled.