Grace Is For Everyone

A Visit to Grace United Methodist Church, Dayton, Ohio

(NOTE: I usually don’t blog or post reviews of churches, since they can be so different from each other and I may not know any of the history, culture, or setting. But I post this one because I think there are some things we all can learn. I know I did.)

Cathy and I were in Dayton on Saturday, April 6. We stayed at a BnB in the Dayton View Historic District. While looking for our BnB we saw Grace UMC, a large, imposing, gray stone building on the hill. We decided to attend the next morning for worship.

The church had good info on its website, so we knew when worship began. We were walking to the church, a couple of blocks away, and trying to figure out where to enter (it was not quite obvious). A car pulled up, and a woman rolled down the window and asked if we were looking for the entrance. We said yes, and she told us how to get there. Even better, she drove into the parking area and waited for us. She introduced herself, Roberta, and escorted us into the building. She asked about us and told us some about the church. She walked us through the historic building, introduced us to people in the hallways and rooms, including the pastor, and then went with us to the sanctuary. She sat with us and introduced us to the people around us.

The building itself is incredibly beautiful- stained glass windows, ornate wood carved chancel, lots of art in the hallways, very neat and clean. The people were dressed comfortably, which was good for us (we were wearing jeans and pullover shirts). Some were in coats and ties, dresses, suits, while others were in jeans and t-shirts. Didn’t seem to matter to anyone. We noticed immediately that it was not only a multicultural congregation, but also people from across the economic spectrum. That does not happen by accident or chance. That must be worked on. Cathy mentioned that to Roberta, and she said, ‘Well, Grace is for everyone.” We heard that phrase a few times. I do not know if it is their official motto or mission statement or logo, but everyone seemed to know it. And when they said it, it wasn’t as if they were trying to sell you a product (like “Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folk…”). It was more like, this is who we are. I mentioned to one person how much the church was involved in the community and she said, “Yes, Grace is for everyone.” I talked to the bus driver in the parking lot who drove to the VA home and the homeless shelters to pick people up, and thanked him for what he did. He said, sort of off the cuff, “Well, Grace is for everyone.”

The service was traditional. The music was from the hymnal, words to the hymns and the common prayers were on a large screen, as well as projection of whoever was speaking or leading worship. The music was very good, and I particularly liked that when the musician was playing the organ for the prelude, the projectionist showed both his hands on the keys and his feet on the pedals (split screen). Special music included a violin solo, and a vocal of Lord of the Dance, both well done

The pastor, Steve Putka, was dressed comfortably- button-up shirt, slacks- walked into the congregation asking for praise reports. “What are you thankful for?” was how he put it, and people shared their thanks for many things. The Scripture, rather than being read, was told by one of the laity (turns out it was David, Roberta’s husband). The woman sitting behind us told us that they had been doing this for a while and she loved it. David told the story almost word for word from the gospels- not his version of it, but what it said. He acted out a little of it for emphasis (it was the story of Thomas after the resurrection). He did a great job of making it real.

The pastor’s sermon was good, applicable, down to earth. He talked about how Jesus included everyone, even those who doubted. Which is good news for me, for sometimes I have my doubts. And he invited everyone to take part, even if you doubted, in the communion. They used those little individual hermetically sealed cups with grape juice on one side and a small cracker on the other. These were passed out to the congregation. He said that he used to hate those things, but had come to accept that for a while, this was the best we could do.

Personally, I do not like those cups. But as I looked around the congregation, I saw several people wearing masks, and I realized that this was one way of making them feel comfortable and welcome. And that trumps my own preference any day.

I noticed that for the most part, the liturgy had inclusive language. Not exclusively, but it was noticeable to me. It was done in a way that did not sound forced, but natural.

At the end of the service the woman behind us leaned forward and said, “You may want to go ahead and leave, and that’s okay, but most of us sit quietly through the postlude, thinking about how we will live out what we’ve heard for the next week.” Cathy and I sat, thought, and prayed.

After the service they were having a meeting to talk about becoming a reconciling congregation. So Cathy and I left, went to the balcony to see the beautiful architecture from above, and walked back to the BnB.

Pastor Steve was fairly new there (came in July of last year). He obviously loves the people and is leading them in some great ways. But he also has some wonderful people in the congregation who have caught the vision of Grace, both the church and the theological concept, being for everyone. If I lived in Dayton, I would be back and would be a part of the congregation. If they would have me. Of course, they would have to, because Grace is for everyone.

The sanctuary would probably seat 700, and I’m estimating that there were about 175 people there. A few people told us of the days years ago when it was filled with families and children and all kinds of things were happening. They pointed with pride to the wonderful building they have. But the wonderful thing was not the building. It was the people. As we left, I thought, the glory days are not behind them. They are ahead.

After all, Grace is for everyone.