53 :: First Presbyterian Church

 

This Maundy Thursday, we did a drive-through communion at First Presbyterian Church. This church is in the middle of Charlotte and I look down into the church from my patio in my apartment. This is one of the primary churches of the PCUSA in Charlotte, which is historically (and to some degree, still is) a very Presbyterian city. The Carolinas were heavily settled by Scots in the 18th century.

This is a beautiful church. One of the following pictures shows a residential tower - that is where I live as I am writing this.

Before describing our visit, a quick story about my history with this church. It is very brief and very poignant. 

In the days after 9/11, most churches in Charlotte were open for people to come in and pray. I was working uptown and walked over to First Presbyterian for a service at lunch time. It was meaningful and when I walked out, I sat down on the front steps of the church and broke down. Hundreds of people walked past me as I sat there and cried.

It was a very unusual time emotionally for all of us, having seen thousands of our fellow American incinerated.

I remember that two women knelt down behind me as I released my sadness. I remember that one woman was black and one white, as I saw their hands on my shoulders. They comforted me. This being the South, they did so in a very nurturing way. I was called "honey" by them. They rubbed my shoulders and the back of my neck and told me to let it out. They also cried and told me it was going to be ok.

I have no idea who they were. I didn't even see their faces. But I will never forget it\\them.

Yesterday was the first time I have been back at First Presbyterian since that day, nearly twenty years later.

A second observation about First Presbyterian. I know many men my age who grew up in this church. They were raised together in this church's youth group in the 1980's. They are uniformly what I would call very solid guys. I knew a couple of them through Selwyn Presbyterian, others I knew from my years of living in South Charlotte. 

As is also very much the case with Davidson College (a Presbyterian school), First Presbyterian Church produces many Charlotteans of good character.

As mentioned, this was a drive-through communion. This is the first time that First Presbyterian has been open since the start of the Covid-19 event. They are an example of a church that is deeply cautious and obedient to the authorities. 

The first station where we stopped, we were read to about the meaning of Maundy Thursday. It means "Command Thursday," which refers to when Yeshua commanded His followers to eat His body and drink His blood as a remembrance. 

Luke 22:14-20:

And when the hour came, He reclined at table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”

Next, we were sent on to the next station, where we were given the communion elements in a safe container that contained the gluten free option (not because we need it, but because it's fun to ask for it). We were read to at this station. as well. Bible verses, as well as exhortations about remembering the Lord's suffering.

I think it is fair to assume that communion elements will forever be distributed differently in the US and will look like the below.

And then we drove out. Brief, meaningful and another church checked off the list.

Was it satisfying? Yes.

Did it provoke thought? Absolutely.

There are some churches that are opening up in Holy Week 2021 for the first time in a year. Others I have visited never closed. And some are still closed.

One thing I have been thinking are the circumstances in which it is/isn't legal for the government to dictate that church communities may not meet. I believe there may be no appropriate time for a secular authority to assert authority over an ecclesiastical institutions that mandates churches may not gather.

Disbanding in-person worship never happened in North Carolina. All of the churches that chose to close did so voluntarily. But there were other states that got dangerously close to mandating the dissolution of in-person church attendance.

What I do believe is that public health can be a consideration for churches, and they may opt to close for physical worship to their congregations. First Presbyterian did that a year ago and they are only now opening incrementally. 

Closing was First Presbyterian's choice. I support freedom of choice (almost all of the time) in matters both ecclesiastical and secular.

What I would also say is that, at its best, the Church can be understood as an institution organized around preparing people for death. 

Death will come to us all. What happens thereafter is a broad space of conjecture, belief, conviction, confusion and debate. But what is beyond question is that physical life will come to an end for each and every one of us. 

Because of the inevitability of death, hard questions arise. Does preservation and extension of Earthly life ever grow to a level of importance that it can justify disbanding a church body? If yes, what is that threshold under which that could be invoked? How does it help a community organized around preparation for death to separate its members from each other as they cling to life as if it were the most important commodity that we have?

I support asking such questions. I am confident the answers are neither easy nor uniform.

Anyway...

It was very gratifying to be part of this unique communion event. 

God willing, this may be the last year we see such a thing. 

But something tells me that will not be the case and we will see some variant of this type of "distanced worship" for many years to come.

Thanks to First Presbyterian for opening the door a bit and helping us to observe Maundy Thursday with their community.