40 :: Belmont Foursquare Church

I worshipped at Belmont Foursquare Church on Wednesday evening. This took place in Belmont, NC, about twenty minutes outside of Charlotte. As I have mentioned in a previous post, Wednesday night church in the Southeast is still a common phenomenon, although it is becoming less so with the passage of time. Churches that meet on Wednesday night also usually have a Sunday morning and Sunday evening service, as well. 

This congregation was perhaps the warmest and friendliest that I have encountered on this spiritual pivot. There were about twenty people at the service, and I think about fifteen of them greeted me personally. In each case, it was with a warm smile and some friendly conversation. They seemed curious about who I was and eager to make me feel at home. 

First, you may be wondering - what is a Foursquare Church? It is a branch of Pentecostalism that started in Los Angeles in 1923. In part, the emphasis on four squares stems from the four faces of a Seraphim. These are the mystical beings with a face of a man, a bull, an eagle and a bear. They figure prominently in both the Book of Ezekiel and the Book of Revelations.

I sense there is some fascinating theology at the root of this emphasis on the faces of a Seraphim, but I have not gone deep into it.

More recently, the emphasis on this number in Foursquare theology is related to four dimensions of our Messiah - Jesus as Savior, Jesus as Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, Jesus as Healer and Jesus as Soon-coming King. Read more about the Foursquare Church at this [link]. The Foursquare Church movement has an emblem that represents each of these four dimensions of the λόγος. 

Here is that emblem:

When I got inside the church, I saw that every other pew was taped off for Covid-related reasons. I took my seat up near the front and settled into the comfortable environment. It seemed like I stood up every few minutes as someone else came by and said hello to me. Simply great people.

Here's the front of the church:

Eventually, a man named George (he had introduced himself to me) walked slowly up the front of the church with his guitar. He was accompanied by others from the congregation. They helped him walk up the two steps at the front, as George is very aged and had some mobility issues. When George got up there, he strummed out two songs and sang, as did those who had gone up to stand with him. The rest of us followed and sang with enthusiasm. In between the two songs, George leaned forward to the microphone and said that he was glad that he had the security of salvation in his life. 

After the music finished, it was announced that the Pastor was away on vacation and that a member of the congregation would be giving the Bible study this evening. That is when a woman named Gail came to the front of the church and opened her Bible. I had met her and her husband Darryl a few minutes prior.

Gail's Bible study had an interesting approach. Gail used words within words. 

She started by saying that she had a word that God put on her heart each year. The word God had given her for 2020 was HOPE. She explained that God also revealed that there is an acronym underneath each word given to her. For HOPE, the next level of deconstruction from God was Hold Onto Promises Everyday and He Offers Peace Everyday.

As the Bible study unfolded, I noted that this was a very interactive church in terms of style - as Gail would speak from the pulpit, the congregation would say something in affirmation back to her points. 

"Amen!"

"Praise the Lord!"

"Mmhhmm."

"That's right!"

I applauded multiple times as Gail made points from the pulpit, as I often do at interactive churches. At Belmont Foursquare, everyone quickly followed my applause. That doesn't happen everywhere, and I loved that aspect of being with these people.

Gail said that God had given her word for 2021 and it was LET. The next level of deconstruction was Leave Everything To.

Gail said that God had told her that LET could also be LETS - Leave Everything To Savior or Leave Everything To Satan. 

More applause.

Then Gail proceeded to expand on all of the times that the word LET is at the front of a Bible verse. 

It's frequent. 

Gail also organized a series of questions around this word, including the idea of pursuing redemption and salvation in Jesus while holding onto conditions... what she called "let me first sentences."

A well-known example of a "let me first" is from Luke 9:57-62.

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  

He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Once Gail had deconstructed the word LET, she moved on to provide spiritual principles that align to each letter of the alphabet. Twenty-six unique ideas that were simple, accessible and meaningful.

I wondered right away what the X word would be. It is seen below.

All of this was executed in a highly structured and accessible way. Candidly, I was impressed. 

When she was done, Gail was clearly ready to be finished. She explained the meaning of the letter Z and then smiled, saying, "Thank you, you're dismissed." 

I started applauding. Everyone else joined in, clapping heartily. She beamed. I could tell this was a big deal for her. Darrell also looked happy. 

As we milled around after the Bible Study, many of the congregants came up to me and thanked me for coming, using my name. 

That is the way church is supposed to be, no?

As I left this brief and impactful Bible study, I thought about the significance of the day. 

This was Inauguration Day in the United States. 

It was a peaceful transition of power in a long series of such transfers, but this one can feel somewhat different. Our country is divided. Perhaps in a way that it has not been since the Civil War. And that is a deeply troubling trend.

With that said, this congregation reminded me that there is still an inherent decency at the core of our nation. 

If we only view the United States through the images that come to us through on our screens, we could quickly think that our entire country is a divided mess. Race, class, ethnicity, religiosity, worldview, sexual orientation, political perspective and region are some of the ways that we are said to be divided in an irreconcilable way. 

I contend that if we take time away from our screens and make direct human connections, we will almost always find a different reality. People are generally very kind and warm. People help each other. People greet strangers and make them feel at home. 

That warmth is not always evident in many places around the world. I have had the good fortune to travel widely in this world, having been to thirty-six countries. I can tell you that the people in the United States are qualitatively different than much of the rest of the world. Put simply, we're a very good people, overall.

Belmont Foursquare Church reminded me of that goodness.

My sincere thanks to Gail and everyone else at Belmont Foursquare Church. It was an awesome experience.