Cowboys....

My little brother is fighting sleep and I'm so tired, this is just hilarious to me right now. Please watch :)

Been a while. New Giveaway you have to check out!

Hi everyone! I know I never get on here anymore.

For those of you who enjoyed reading, I'm sorry. My like has been beyond crazy. BTW, I'm MARRIED now!!! Whoohooo!!!!

My newest obsession keeps me occupied while I'm all alone in this house, and makes me feel like I'm not worthless because I really at time feel like I'm not contributing anything at all (the downside of being unemployed for almost a year now - my new job doesn't start until August 8th).

Couponing. Not even necessarily the extreme kind. It's keeps me occupied (it's almost obsessive) and it's so refreshing to not hand over entire halves of paychecks at the cash register of the local supermarket.

Part of this obsession includes following the most up-to-date couponista's on facebook and twitter to keep up with the best coupons. One in particular, BluegrassSavers, is having a FANTASTIC giveaway. Please check it out and pass on the word!

Here is the link: http://www.bluegrasssavers.com/2011/07/09/giveaway-over-600-worth-of-pearls-8-winners/

EIGHT lucky (VERY LUCKY) winners will receive over $600 in PEARLS. (I know, right?)

So even you male readers, go check it out. This will make a very lovely gift for your favorite females. :)

TaTa for now!
- Jerie, the new MRS. Bolin :)

Second Observation - Tates Creek Presbyterian Church

Tates Creek Presbyterian Church

3900 Rapid Run Drive

Lexington, KY 40515

A recent study has examined the correlation between closeness to God and psychological well-being (Bradshaw, Ellison, & Marcum, 2010). They note that, in many cultures, God is seen as a parental attachment figure, and proximity-seeking behavior (namely prayer) is a haven of safety. They surveyed 1,041 members of the Presbyterian Church, and placed them into two samples, active elders and other active members. They used a mean index to determine psychological distress and also to determine attachment to God. They found that both secure attachment and anxious attachment (described as types of spiritual struggles) to God were both independently associated with feelings of distress. These results seem to confirm that one’s relationship with God is linked to mental health over other conventional practices such as frequency of church attendance and prayer.

In this section, we examine a service at Tates Creek Presbyterian Church in Lexington, KY, in which its’ members portrayed a varying proximity to God. Lexington is Kentucky’s second largest city. It’s known as the “Horse Capital of the World,” and is home to Kentucky’s oldest university, Transylvania. It is ranked as one of the nation’s most stable economies, and of its’ approximate 300,000 population, 85.8% of people over the age of 25 have completed high school, 35.6% hold a bachelors degree, and 11.4% hold a masters. Of the Lexington population, 47.3% have religious affiliation, and 3.8% of that is Presbyterian affiliation. However, 6.1% of the churches in Lexington are Presbyterian churches.

Tates Creek Presbyterian is a very large campus. It houses a large new church -built only three years ago - and Trinity Christian Academy, a full-sized private school that facilitates 400 students grades K through 12. They enforce a very rigorous academic program, and are leading the city in athletics. Every high school student spends their last two years working on a thesis that they must present to graduate, much like you would in a graduate program.

Parking for service is difficult to find - the first sign that a large crowd is in attendance. The church is certainly large enough to seat everyone comfortably. Inside, a basin of stones with markings are laying near the wall. Examining them closer, one can see names of families written on the rocks. When asked about later, a minister explained that these are the names of families that are prayed over by members of the church.

The foyer is large, but noisy. Some people are bustling inside to be seated and others are greeting guests and having discussions about their weeks. When service is about to being, you can hear clearly what is going on inside because the foyer has speakers for the late comers and parents with upset children who still want to partake in the service. After being seated, the doors separating the foyer and the church are shut so that no disruptions occur, and the service beings with the ringing of the handbell choir.

The church is very large, housing three columns of approximately fifty rows of new, wooden pews - all of which are occupied. Golden chandeliers hang from the white ceiling, and, aside from the stained glass windows, there is a modern feel to the structure of this church. The floors are carpeted, and the all white walls are plain. No organ pipes consume the north-facing wall, but instead a modest pulpit with plenty of room for the choir to stand, though this area isn’t designated for explicitly the choir.

The handbell choir is composed of approximately forty members - each carrying two bells of different notes and lined along the back walls of the church, behind all of the pews. Singularly, these bells would have little significance, but when played together, the beautiful melodies of Wagner’s Shall We Gather at the River can be heard. This is the prelude, and it is a signal to the church to prepare for worship.

One can take this time to observe the members of the church. There is a wide variety of members in the pews of Tates Creek Presbyterian. Tates Creek, even upon first impression, seems to be a very individualistic culture. Members range from uninterested teenagers to devoted elderly, from designer dresses to Walmart brand jeans, and from the warm and welcoming to the proud and bothered. One adult member never looked up from his notebook as he sat alone and sketched. Another listened intently and appeared genuinely upset when another member reached behind him to grab a hymnal that his arm was obscuring. Yet another member was dressed in her business attire, and seemed eager to participate in the service.

Next the minister welcomes the church and asks everyone to fill out blue cards that read “Welcome! We’re so glad you’re here!” at the top. Members and visitors alike take the card and write down names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses while they check the appropriate boxes for visitor, members, age group, and interests. The back of the card leaves space to write prayer requests.

The minister begins the call to worship in “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.” The church responds, and one can observe the routine as members respond. Everything seems very rushed. Minister and members read quickly and the organ struggles to sound harmonious as it hurriedly leads the church to the next portion of service.

An example of this rushed feeling can be found in the Hymn of Praise. A majority already have their pages ready in the hymnal and quickly stand. The same members who were part of the handbell choir being to sing, and can be seen forming two lines. As they sing, they make their way to the front the the church and behind the pulpit, where they come to a stop and continue lead the congregation in We Praise You, O God. Our Redeemer, Creator. At this time, the doors separating the foyer and the church are opened and late comers take their seats.

The members remain standing for the Invocation, a prayer read in unison. This isn’t The Lord’s Prayer, but a prayer that has been created and typed into the program for people to read from.

Still standing, the Gloria begins. The Gloria Patri by Meineke has been selected for this service, and this sort hymn of praise is sang by every member and visitor alike. One can hear a few ambitious voices trying for harmonies, while other voices are monotone and repetitious.

The congregation is seated and the Anthem begins. Now Let All the Heavens Adore Thee by Johann Sebastian Bach is sung by the choir alone. The music sung here is beautiful, but complex, and it isn’t expected that the congregation would be able to follow along, even if the situation deemed it appropriate. The choir is well-practiced, and they do not require hymnals or music sheets in front of them to read.

Next is the psalter reading. The program designates to read from Psalm 1, but surprisingly, most members are reading from their hymnals instead of Bibles, though both are located in the shelves behind every pew.

Next is another anthem, this one by Young - From All That Dwell below the Skies. Again, the voices of the choir are beautiful. Observers can see that some take everything in, and really appreciate the beauty, while others are so accustomed they almost ignore it.

The reading of the scripture is next. This foreshadows what the topic in the sermon will be. The minister reads from Ephesians 4:25-32, and the people respond, “Thanks be to God!” The minister now leads the the congregation in the Prayer of Confession. This is said in unison, and, at Tates Creek Presbyterian, it is the same every week. A short passage from this reads, “Father teach us not to sin with such abandon. We do it all so easily....then expect an easy forgiveness for the asking. God, forgive us for our negligence of Your holy character. Let us not misinterpret Your patience with out sin as though it were permissiveness.”

After the Prayer of Confession comes the Assurance of Pardon. Here, the minister seems hardened as he reads Isaiah 1:18 “...though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

The congregation stands, there hymnals already opened to the page, and being singing the hymn. They sing, in its’ entirety, God, Be Merciful to Me. They remain standing for the Confession of Faith. According to the pamphlet in the lobby titled “A Child’s Guide to Worship at Tates Creek Presbyterian Church,” this is the Apostles Creed and serves to “boldly witness to the world that we believe our faith.”

Next is a brief (only 16 measures) praise, the Doxology. This is usually joyful. After the people are seated, the minister announces the collection of Tithes and Offerings, and as ushers walk down the aisles to collect these, he continues with the Offertory Reading, and the people respond. The minister then beings his Offertory Prayer, and for the most part, this does not seem rehearsed, but genuine and ad libbed.

Next is the Offertory. This is a euphonium, essentially a solo concerto, performed on the french horn with an accompanying piano. Aaron Meacham, the french horn player, is in his late teens or early twenties, and is confident as he stands in front of the congregation and plays his beautiful, peaceful piece of music. For once, nearly every member of the congregation has their attention focused on the pulpit. This is the only part of the service that does not feel hurried and rushed.

Next, the Senior Minister of Tates Creek Presbyterian, The Reverend John P. Sartell, Sr., begins his Sermon. The program says that the title of this sermon is “Does the Transcendent God of the Universe Really Care How I Live?” The theme of the sermon was God’s displeasure of our sins, and especially, young people’s attitudes about casual sexual relationships and homosexuality. Rev. Sartell begins the sermon by asking, “Does God really care how I live?” The sermon, like most of the service, is very rushed. One example of this is that he stumbles over a word or two and makes a joke about a faulty microphone. By the time people begin to laugh, he is serious again and is back into the sermon.

Even being rushed, the sermon seemed to last forever. One could see that the service had been rushed for this purpose, and that service still wouldn’t be over within the hour mark. Rev. Sartell explains that the most mentioned attribute in the Bible is “his holiness,” and that God is separate from all the rest of creation. “God rebukes specific sins and commends specific righteousness,” he said. He is very lively, urgent as he scolds the church and tells them that have little or no regard about sins, they have become a way of life. He says, “It’s like we’ve become agnostic. We don’t know about a Holy God.”

About casual sexual relationships, he says as a culture we have developed the attitude that it’s “no harm, no foul.” In other words, as long as there are two consenting adults, there is no problem with sex before marriage. Rev. Sartell explains that this is not the case.
He varies in tone and volume as he begs for the audience to take in his message. He says that they “care little for God’s majestic holiness,” and “come to God as casual as we go to a ball game.” Everyone’s head is down as though they are ashamed. No one looks outraged or astonished when the minister says, “human extract times one hundred does not come close to how foul we are.”

When talking about churches who ordain and except homosexuals, Rev. Sartell says “Something must be said about the disregard for the Holiness of God.” He leads into his next point, that our sins, even if only internal, damage others. Every sin affects another person in some way. He references William James, author of Principles in Psychology, who says that youth are malleable, molds, and walking bundles of habits. Every actions is molding them into who they will become.

The message in this sermon is clearly directed towards mainly the youth of the church. He continues to come back to the point of youth’s casual sexual attitude. He pauses for a moment to say that other churches will not let you talk about sin in the way that he does. He tells a story about a minister who visited Australia to give a sermon about sins. The minister there said he could not do this because it was bad for the youth. The visiting minister took a bottle of poison with him to meet the minister and said he would place a label on top of it that read “Essence of Peppermint,” and the minister told him he could not do this. The visiting minister explained that sins are far more poisonous that the bottle of poison would be.

Rev. Sartell concludes the sermon by calling for the youth’s attention and explaining that their parents grieve over their sins in the way that a mother or father would grieve over a dead son or daughter. Not only the parents, he says, but the “Holy Spirit grieves over the damages of our sins.”

Heads are still lowered and everyone looks ashamed as the minister announces the conclusion of his sermon. There is a short moment of silence while the message sinks in before the Hymn of Response begins. Have Thine Own Way, Lord! is sang in unison, but everyone is less enthused now. Still bowing their heads as they stand to sing.

Next is the Benediction. By this time, tensions are easing, and some people raise their heads as the minister gives his blessing. He concludes service and invites visitors to come to meet him in the foyer as they exit. The Postlude, Sing to the Lord, by Eliot, begins.

Exiting the church is difficult, even for those who were seated near the back, since so many people are present. Parents rush to the check-in/check-out table to show identification to check-out their children from one of the several nurseries or children’s worship. Some members leave without speaking to anyone, while others meet and group in the foyer to talk. The crowd is mixed. Ages, socioeconomic status, group size, and behavior all widely vary. As one exit’s the building, they can find a table holding a wide array of pamphlets about the different ministries at Tates Creek Presbyterian.

Given all the variation of people within Tates Creek Presbyterian Church, it is clear that the culture here is very individualistic. There are no messages of “for the good of the group,” rather, everything seems to be very welcoming to options for everyone and the understanding that many people will come and go. It is expected that everyone is their own, independent, person, and have their own self-concept.

However, there is an expectation of conformity to the rules. There is a tightness at Tates Creek that portrays that there will be no exceptions when it comes to obeying God’s written word and the rules of the church. There is not, however, a written dress code or enforcement on the type of person who can enter the church, so the power distance is very spread out. The clothing people wore varied from hand-me-downs to designer labels.

The message of the sermon, while geared toward the youth as a whole, was meant to be a message to every member individually, so individualized learning is practiced here. Though no members spoke out of turn during service, during the sermon especially, the emotion type of its’ members where very clear. The people were ashamed and felt guilt.

While the culture here is very individualistic, the motivation is relational. One of the messages of the sermon was that every sin has a consequence, and one’s sins are harmful to those around us. The people are obedient to the reverend’s sermon, taking the message in, and both vertical and horizontal relationships can be found.

Tates Creek Presbyterian in Lexington is really the church for everyone. It is varying on so many levels that, while everyone may not feel welcomed to the scornful messages of the minister, everyone will be accepted to experience the service. It is clear that everyone here has a different, individual relationship with God, and that Rev. Sartell is just an instructor in how to obey God’s word, thereby becoming closer to him. 


Since I'm all about posting my homework lately....

We are doing practice GRE Analytical Writing essays in my PSY 497 class. We have 45 minutes to review the statement, and write and review our reply. Here is one of the essays I've worked on tonight.

I really lucked out. You choose one of two statements, and this one happened to be something we regularly discuss in my Senior Seminar class.

Enjoy!

(Don't be too harsh! Remember, only 45 minutes!!!!)

"People today are too individualistic. Instead of pursuing self-centered, separate goals, people need to understand that satisfaction comes from working for the greater good of the family, the community, or society as a whole."

The statement provided argues that people are too individualistic versus collectivistic. It is going to be my argument that individualism depends on the culture you associate yourself to. 

America stands out from other countries in its’ values of freedom. Being a mostly individualistic culture is part of what makes America so beautiful. Having independent upbringings is a custom of most families in America. Children are taught to be self-sufficient and to live out their own dreams at any cost. In non-Western cultures such as China and India, children are raised with a more interdependent model that says children should be as best as they can be so that they can support their families, communities, and affiliations. 

Neither of these models are better or more effective than the other, it is just a part of culture. It is important as Americans that we understand and value all types of culture - no matter what our positions. Understanding culture can be beneficial in our workplace. For instance, a teacher explaining to a collectivistic mother would have trouble explaining that her daughter could be very successful in life if she practiced her reading. The teacher would have better luck encouraging the mother to let the daughter read to her siblings at night before bed to improve her reading, because this would be beneficial to more than just the daughter. 

There are some advantages and disadvantages to both models. For instance, in a collectivistic culture, it is difficult for people to advance. Since bettering the group as a whole is priority, people are less likely to advance for fear of taking away from someone else. For instance, a non-Westerner living in a collectivistic society may not apply for a promotion for fear of taking the opportunity away from someone who was more deserving. With little conflict, there is little need for disagreement, and with little disagreement there is less discussion of ideas and less development and improvements. 

As for the individualistic cultures, while people are constantly advancing and improving ideas, competition is so strong that many people are unable to advance themselves. Also, families are not as close are as strongly bonded. 

Perhaps the best solution is to be a part of and implement practices from both models. America is one of the top nations of the world for a reason. If we could incorporate collectivistic culture into our individualistic culture, perhaps we would already have a cure for cancer or a solution for our diminishing ozone layer. America is the land of the free, but we could all benefit by learning from our collectivistic brothers and sisters. Understanding cultures could be the key to unbounded success. 

First Presbyterian Church, Richmond KY

I attended First Presbyterian Church this last Sunday morning for an observational group assignment in my Senior Seminar class. We have to observe two cultures and prepare a report about the two observations, then compare them.

I am posting my first observation below because this was my first visit ever to a Presbyterian church. I was raised in a Pentecostal environment where there is little structure or guidelines. My experience at FPC was a "culture shock."

Trust me, I will absolutely not be offended if you don't want to read. It is definitely not in line with my normal content on here. I just wanted to post it in case you were curious about my thoughts on my first Presbyterian experience, having been raised in a less structured spiritual environment.

Enjoy!

- Jerie

I arrived at First Presbyterian Church on Main street in Richmond, KY on February 13, 2011, around 10:50am, approximately 10 minutes before the start of morning worship. Richmond is roughly a urban area with just under 50,000 in population. Mostly notable for its large population of 18-25 year-olds, as Richmond is a “college-town,” housing Eastern Kentucky University. The average salary is just over $40,000, and the poverty rate is approximately 20%. 

First Presbyterian Church is in the heart of Richmond, KY. I walked a few blocks from a parking lot, and went through the large wooden doors. A group of uniformed boy scouts, ages 10 to 18 approximately, lined the walls of the foyer, handing me a program as they greeted me through the door. Being the first of my group to arrive, I found a half-empty pew, and started to absorb my surroundings. As a whole, the church is absolutely, breath-takingly beautiful. The historical structure of the building combined with the loving community of “believers” inside it made for a very moving moment. The dark wood that covers the vaulted ceilings and floor was polished and pristine. The classic light fixtures rested steadily above our heads, dimly lit, but unnecessary, as the lightly colored stained glass windows allowed plenty of light inside on that beautiful sunny morning. The wall directly in front of me provided contrast to this sweet, light atmosphere as I took in the enormous, polished metal organ pipes that would soon boom the tuneful melodies of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Fredrick Handel, among others. Pride filled this church, at least in it’s structure. Not once did I come across a dust-bunny or spider web. I could only assume the same care, consideration, and pride would be portrayed in the members of First Presbyterian Church of Richmond. 

In my first five minutes there, alone in the pew, I sat quietly. I imagine that mostly everyone recognized me as a visitor. Many people were in groups, quietly discussing details about their lives - about their children and grandchildren, about bible study that week, and what vacations they wish to take - I was clearly a newcomer, isolated in my wooden pew. I was starting to believe that either (1) visitors were so common they weren’t addressed anymore, or (2) visitors were so uncommon that they didn’t know how to receive me. 

Finally, just seconds before other members of my group arrived, a few elderly women broke off from their conversations in order to welcome me. They wanted to know if I was a student at the local campus, reassuring their beliefs I was a visitor. Something in the eyes of the woman next to me looked as though she was genuinely interested in the details about my life. She took my hand in a friendly shake and held it there for a moment as she explained to me that I should sign the burgundy “guest book” at the left of me sitting in the pew, and pass it down to her for her to sign. She was obviously a member of the church, probably has been for many years, so I was confused as to why she also had to sign the book. It was probable that everyone there knew her by name. I filled out my name, address, email address and checked the boxes that said “visitor” and “college student,” and passed the thin burgundy book to my right. Another woman, seated in front me, turned around to greet me. She was dressed in a grey business suit. Through her glasses, she looked at me, almost apologetically, explaining to me that most college students attend the Wednesday night service, as though I would be dismayed in finding less people of my age group attending. All three women who shook my hand and welcomed me, either briefly or inquisitively, hosted a grey or white head of hair, and were dressed in business causal. I started to relax. 

The organ began to gently play Bach’s “Prelude in G,” signaling to everyone to take their seats, the service was beginning. This part of the service is described as the prelude. Having never attended a presbyterian church service before, I had to do some research to discover the meaning and purpose in every portion of the service. I found this information on the website of Tates Creek Presbyterian Church in a downloadable document titled, “A Child’s Guide to Worship,” which defines clearly and in layman’s terms every portion of a standard presbyterian service. Fitting, I think, since I am a Presbyterian baby, in the sense that I am relatively unfamiliar with the structure of the service. The prelude, I found, has the purpose of signaling the people to take their seats and prepare for the service. This worked exactly as it was meant to do in the case of this sunday morning at First Presbyterian Church. 

Next, the pastor, Dr. Curtis Christian, a warm and friendly man wearing robes and a green sash, welcomed the church and invited everyone to stand and welcome one another. I found this just a little unusual and maybe even slightly “silly” and unnecessary since most of us had done this prior to the service. But I shook it off under the consideration that he may be doing this because he noticed unfamiliar faces in the crowd, and wished those people to feel welcomed. After this warm gesture, he welcomed everyone in a well-recited explanation of the service and the purpose of the “guest books” I had encountered earlier. the purpose, he explained, is to have a “record of your worship with us here today.” It was like a thin burgundy religious time-sheet, I gathered. 

Next was the introit. According to my copy of “A Child’s Guide to Worship,” this is a “call to worship” sung by the choir. Next was the call to worship, ironically enough. This is the part of the ceremony that uses scripture (God’s word) to call his people to worship him. Luckily for me, these verses of scripture (and my expected responses) were typed into  the program. In my guide, the author writes, “Worship is active. We are to participate. The call to worship invited us to action.”

Next comes the hymn of praise.  Our program tells us this is hymn #457, “I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art.” I follow the lead of everyone around me, and remove the blue hymnal from the shelf attached to the pew in front of me, and turn to hymn #457. Everyone around me started to sing. I gather this is something that everyone has to, or at least feels obligated to participate in, because I can hear a variety of voices. Looking around I can see everyone singing (or at least their lips are moving) and I can hear a few very proud women singing elaborately, a few in harmony to the melody. With this, I can also hear a few tone-deaf men, who either sing because they are passionate and want to show their dedication, or because they must. All of this is on top of a beautifully talented choir stationed in the front. 

Next on the program is the call to confession and the prayer of confession. I don’t really need to consult my guide to understand that this part of the service is where the people of the church confess their sins to God and pray for forgiveness. At this point, I started to note a lot of significant similarities and differences from a typical Catholic Mass. 

Next came the silent confession, congregational response (the choir recited Kyrie #572 - “Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us,” assurance of pardon (a reminder from the pastor that the Lord has promised to forgive us when we confess our sins), and then a charming section in the program they titled words with our young church. 

Words with our young church is notable because the strong relationship between the educators and the children was so apparent. Joel Stanley, the director of Christian Education welcomed the children (up to the third grade) up to the front and had a discussion with them while the rest of us observed their discussion. It only lasted about five minutes, but it was charming to watch as Joel asked, “how are you different from a baby?” A small girl in glasses answered “We have more hair on our heads!” Someone else answered “We can do lots of stuff babies can’t, like make stuff.” Joel encouraged their answers, but cleverly and concisely moved the discussion to talk about how, as we grow physically, we should also be growing spiritually, and allowed for the children to chime in on exactly what growing spiritually meant. 

The children were led downstairs to continue their discussions and studied, and the service progressed into the anthem. The anthem is a song, sung by the choir, that is often based on scripture. According to my guide, they can be prayers, stories, or songs of praise, and can have a variety of moods (happy, sad, etc.).

Next is the prayer for illumination. This is the pastors prayer (said aloud) that asks that the people listening will really take in and absorb what is coming next. What comes next is the reading of scripture by the pastor. That Sunday he, along with every other pastor in all of the presbyterian churches across the nation, read from 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, which talks about the church and its’ leaders. 

The most relatable portion of the service came next - the sermon. Dr. Christian spent an appropriate amount of time discussing the scripture. What’s so neat is that his discussion seemed to correlate perfectly in what we were asked to observe. He even threw out terms like “interdependent.” Dr. Christian pointed out that although people will sometimes appoint “deacons” to lead the church, that God calls every believer to be deacons to the world. This message to “be a light” seemed to inspire the crowd. He tied in the same message introduced by the children earlier that we need to grow spiritually, and obtain mature faith. He said that the church will only become as great as it can be when the members inside it are as great as they can be. He encouraged the listeners to go out and encourage growth, support and nurture others, and that “living for yourself is not the message of the cross.” He goes on to point out that we are all brothers and sisters, that no one denomination of Christianity is better than the other. 

After Dr. Christian’s sermon, the church joined the choir in another hymn. One that was not provided in the hymnal, just inserted inside the program. Shall we Gather at the River by Robert Lowry had a reverse side that was meant to be returned to the church because printed on the back of the hymn was a survey to the people. The church asked that the members fill out this survey asking them to rate (on a scale of 1 to 5) how strongly they agree or disagree to each query. First Presbyterian Church wanted to know how “singable” the hymn was, if they would like to see it included in the blue hymnal book, if they found the text meaningful, and if the text brought satisfaction to a “longing for healing and peace in days to come.”

Next comes the affirmation of faith. This was not included in my guide, but I can tell you that it is two paragraphs of text that was recited by everyone. It starts with “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth...” and continues with the declaration of the things the members believe in. 

Next is the congregational response, or the Gloria - a short song of praise. Then, something I was told does not occur every service, a Moment for Mission. The leader of the Boy Scouts and another man leading a $0.05 per Meal Offering mission, stood in front of the church and thanked them for their support, and asked that they continue so that the organizations of the church may grow. 

Nearing the end, next was the Lord’s Prayer, the Choral Response (a big “Amen”), Offerings and Tithes, then the Doxology. The Doxology is another hymn of praise, usually portraying joy. Finally, in conjunction with the Postlude (like the prelude except people are exiting instead of entering), the church was dismissed. 

Exiting the church was more difficult than I imagined it would be. I found this to be because the pastor made it his mission to shake the hand and speak to every person who walked through the church doors into the foyer. When he finally got to me, he grasped my hand firmly with his soft hands and, although he had never seen me before, said “Are you having a good day? I know I am!” as though we had known each other for a long time. 

A few days later, I received an email from the First Presbyterian Church. They welcomed me to return, and invited me to attend services on Wednesday nights when they provide free dinners for those attending, emphasizing that this is popular for EKU college students. 

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by my experience at First Presbyterian Church. It was very similar, yet very different from the few things I understand about Catholic Mass. In my music literature class last semester, I learned that the Lutheran church came into being because a few members of the Catholic church felt they lacked something in the absence of interaction in the Catholic church. These leaders argued that the members of the Catholic church could not relate to the things that occurred there. One of the things they argued is that the hymns of the mass were sung in Latin and the church, even if they could understand Latin (which was rare), were not allowed to join. Also, women could not get very involved. This led to the formation of the Lutheran church, which had a choir, but strived to make church service more relatable. They used hymns for the church to sing together. Hymns that were tuneful and easy to follow. 

The reason this Presbyterian service reminded me of this Lutheran lesson is because, in a lot of ways, the Presbyterian service was rigidly structured like a Catholic mass would be. At the same time, they make considerable effort to encourage interaction and feedback from the church, as was seen in the hymns and the survey that was inserted in the program. In the same sense, it was evident that this church was routed in tradition. I feel very cultured during this observation because I kept imagining all the the ancestors of people before these that had upheld the same practices, without much, if any, variation. 

Given my experiences here, I feel confident in saying that First Presbyterian Church of Richmond is collective, or interdependent. It is remarkable how well this was easy to detect. Given that Dr. Christian actually addressed this in his sermon made this decision an easy one. They are very encouraging to the members of the church, but they want them to make the church, and the Presbyterian name, its very best. 

Also, based on my experience were everyone followed the structure very strictly, I’m going to say that the portrayed a lot of tightness. That is, they adhered to the rules and guidelines of the procedure with little or no variation. This was most prominent in the reciting of the hymns and responses. 

It is difficult to say whether First Presbyterian Church follows a masculine or feminine element. Most of the leaders (with the exception of the choir leader) were male, and the church seemed male-driven. This would cause me to lean towards masculinity. I did do some research to see if women were permitted to have power roles inside the Presbyterian church, and as far as I can tell, they are. First Presbyterian Church specifically calls attention to their three “Presbyterian Women’s Groups,” but this isn’t as pronounced as the Boy Scouts seem to be. 

As far as power distance is concerned, I did not observe many variations in class. Everyone in attendance was dressed approximately the same. I parked in the wrong space and did not stay after as most member did - to meet downstairs for punch - so I did not get to see what kinds of vehicles were being driven. The only variation in appearance and luxury items was found in the Boy Scouts. Most Boy Scouts were in full uniform - the beige shirt adorned in badges and awards with khaki pants. I did notice a few of the boys were wearing worn blue jeans instead of khakis, but I don’t think this observation is distinctive enough to be significant. 

It was clear that a large social identity was present in the members of the church. Many of the people were alike in making a whole part of the church. It was clear that the members here had a sense of belonging and purpose. 

I was not able to closely observe the families of the church that were present, but from what I was able to witness at the “words with our young church” and the overall interdependence of the church, I would assume that the families here are family-focused rather than individual-focused. Along the same lines of this, sense the collective team was often emphasized, I would also agree that group cognition/learning is present and enforced. This stems from my observations that the church recognizes that group change begins with the individual. 

With emotion type, I found a lot of expressions that could be accurate descriptions of my experience at First Presbyterian Church. Members were joyful, loving, and had pride in their church. 

As witnessed in the sermon about “brotherly love” across denominations, along with the experience with the boy scouts and outreach programs, I would  label this church as invested in the individual actions, in other words, relational motivation. 

Also, given the appearance of the members, the routines of the boy scouts, the greeting and exiting habits, and practices throughout the service, I would say they are more similar to the conformity element than the obedience element. 

Other than myself and my group, I did not witness any horizontal relationships. There were many families there, even a few generations of families. I was reminded a few times that more horizontal relationships were more prominent on Wednesday nights, but as for my observations on this Sunday morning, they were more invested in vertical relationships. 

Routed in tradition and thriving on a successful structure, my experience at First Presbyterian Church was fascinating. The interdependent model of education and worship employed throughout the service consistently rang the mission statement of the church, “We exist... not for ourselves, but to love Jesus Christ, and to make Christ’s love known.”

If I'm dead Tomorrow...

There are helicopters circling the neighborhood at a low altitude with their lights shining on the ground. I always assume the worst... so.....

There's a blood-thirsty axe murderer on the loose looking for his next helpless victim. There is absolutely no other explanation. If I'm not alive tomorrow, remember the good times you've hade with me. I want Lady Gaga's new song "Born this way" played at my funeral, and Chris gets the dog and my super-cool DVD collection and Xbox games.

Bye world. It's been cool.

Ps. For future reference, if anyone ever played Lady Gaga at my funeral, I'd haunt them for the rest of their lives. That would be a horrible decision.

My Mail Today

I know what you're thinking. Who writes about their mail? Well, this girl. A lot of exciting things arrived today. Things besides my overpriced electric bill and my all-too-depressing water bill.

First, I woke up to a Fed-Ex sticky note on the door, which essentially means "look down - you'll find your package at your feet." How nice of them.

Yay! My cake topper is here! (Chris skillfully rearranged it to read CBJ instead of JBC while I was in class).

I went to class - I didn't skip but I felt like it.

When I came home, two more boxes on my doorstep! From UPS! They don't use sticky notes - how rude of them.

First I notice Lily's new bed! We had to buy her a bed to sleep in (and new sheets for my bed) since she did this:

Anyway, I assembled her bed, and she was hesitant at first, but now she's a happy pup in her own bed. Which looks like this:

Lastly, My order from Sephora arrived! Which means makeup! Yay!

So, everyone, check out my Glee-Inspired, "Slushied" Blue nails by Sephora! Inspired by the character Finn Hudson.

I love them! And I gotta say, that Sephora nail polish remover in the picture is the best I've ever used! 

So, in summary, I'm a happy girl. All of this combined with my new Kinect game, True Blood Season 2, and The Ultimate Collector's Edition Harry Potter 3 and 4 on Blu-Ray that I got on Monday (or was it Tuesday?), you could almost say "Merry Christmas, Jerie."

I love the nail polish. If you're a Gleek like me, check out the line of nail polish on Sephora inspired by Glee. Nearly every character has a color, including Mr. Shu! 

I swear I'm not being paid by any of these brand names. HAHA. I'm just very excited. 

Later.