Values, Uniqueness and Needs of Green Memorial and its Members

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of meeting with Green Memorial's Pastor, Reverend Kenneth I. Lewis, Jr. as well as a member of the congregation.  I also chatted a bit with a couple of the women I was sitting next to during Sunday's service.  

Pastor Lewis

The service was wonderful.  Pastor Lewis is clearly passionate about his work, and his sermons are moving and meaningful even to this here pagan.  Sunday was Pentecost which I knew nothing about.  I turned to the women sitting next to me and asked what is was.  She told me it was the day that the church received the holy spirit.  Christians had gathered from all over, and all of them were speaking different languages. When the spirit was received, all the people suddenly understood each other.  The Pastor touched on this briefly, but I think what touched me most during the sermon was a topic I call "manifestation", which is the ability to focus your energy on getting something you need in your life.  The Pastor talked about what we need to do while we are waiting for whatever it is we are praying for.  We sang "Wait". The lyrics are:

Wait...with expectation.

Wait...with anticipation.

Wait...and I will worship You, Lord, while I wait.

This seemed very similar to what I do when I am praying for something in my life.  For instance, I want a farmer to purchase our organic farm up in Poland.  I am waiting for that, and I trust that it will happen. I'm excited about it, and I visualize it and think about it often.  While I'm waiting, I express my gratitude for all the wonderful gifts in my life.  I do my meditation and yoga practice.  The concept is the same, though the language is a bit different.  

I have to admit that I felt a little uncomfortable asking questions to the Pastor.  I am a different ethnicity/race, and I am a non-Christian.  I think I expressed a bit of this concern in my first post:  I fear that I will be viewed as a racist and/or judged for not being Christian.  There, I said it.  I think my fears are unfounded.  Reverend Lewis was happy to talk with me and answer my questions.

Reverend Lewis, who has been the Pastor at Green Memorial since 2003, agreed to meet with me after the service.  I could see he was tired.  Sunday was HOT, and there were no open windows, and no air conditioning.  Services at Green Memorial are long, about two hours, and Reverend Lewis puts a lot of energy into the service, preaching full force, often yelling, singing, and moving.  He does not stand still behind the pulpit.  For this reason, we did not spend much time together.  He was beat!  

I have posted a bit about values already after going to my first Sunday service, but I wanted to ask the Reverend what he thought the values of the congregation are.  He felt a little uncomfortable speaking for the congregation, but after thinking for a moment he said that he thought Integrity, Authenticity, and Accountability would be what members valued most.  These values lead to one of the things that make Green Memorial so unique.  It is a safe place to be Vulnerable.  It is not uncommon for congregants to shed tears.  I personally shed a few myself at both of the services I attended. This morning someone even went around handing out tissues.  

Reverend Lewis also talked about how Maine is the least churched state in the country, but that Green Memorial is Growing.  Members of the church know that if they don't get there on time, they may not have a seat!  Because of this, one of the needs of the Church is Space.  If there were 300 seats at Green Memorial, the Reverend is sure they would be filled.  

The thing that makes the Green Memorial Community most unique is the fact that it is an African church which has become Diversified organically.  Reverend Lewis said that Sundays are the most segregated day across the United States and that there is not another church like this in the country.  He's not exactly sure of the ratio, but thought it was about 60 to 70 percent African/Black and 40 to 30 percent other.  When I first walked in to Green Memorial I thought there might be a handful of other white people, and I was surprised to see that it really is a pretty nice mix of all kinds.  At the time I thought this must just be how AME churches are, and I shared that with Reverend Lewis, but he said there are no other AME churches like this.  He calls it the "Green Memorial Experience."  

Reverend Lewis talked about needs very briefly.  One mentioned above was Space.  Apparently, the church would like to expand.  They own the whole block on Sheridan, except for one house.  They need to purchase that house in order to expand.  He also stated that they really needed a Single Level Church.  Some of the congregants are quite old and managing the stairs (they are some of the steepest stairs I have ever seen) is quite difficult.  The last need the Reverend talked about was the need to Stay in an Urban Location.  He said a church like this would never work in a rural setting, and I quickly agreed with him but later wondered if perhaps some day it could?

Because the Reverend could not spend much time with me, I reached out to Michee Jean, a fellow social work student who attends Green Memorial.  I asked her if she could elaborate on what makes Green Memorial unique as well as some of its needs.  

Michee mentioned that in the whitest state in the country, she can find a place where she fits in at Green Memorial.  Even though there are all kinds of people at GM, she feels like she is part of the Black Community while at church.  It makes her feel comfortable.  She also feels that having a Black Pastor is unique, and that he is someone who knows what it is like to be black in Maine.  In fact, Pastor Lewis is the main reason Michee attends Green Memorial.  She says that "time flies when he's preaching.  He's funny, serious, intelligent, and honest."

Michee also discussed space as a need at Green Memorial, however, she talked specifically about more Parking Spaces.  Another need is a Closer Knit Community.  She finds it difficult to break into the groups or cliques of people who have been going there for 10+ years, or for their whole lives.  Finally, she feels the church really needs some Updating.  After sitting through Sunday's very HOT service, I have to agree.  The hand held fans they passed out were lovely, and Pastor Lewis was doing a fabulous job, but I think everyone there was a bit uncomfortable due to the heat!  

One last thing before I end this very long post.  One of the ladies I sat next to (and I did not get her name) was telling me all about the music at Green Memorial.  Her husband is the guitar player.  It may seem obvious but I want to point out clearly how much Green Memorial and its congregants value and  cherish their music.  It is a major piece of the Sunday service, and it is what interested me in the first place.