I have always wanted to attend a soulful black church. One where the pastor would shout before his audience, and they would yell back, "Preach it to us!"
My past religion viewed such worship as irreverent. Sometimes when I return to my old church buildings for a relative's baby blessing and hear a really great speaker, I have to remind myself not to applaud.
That suppressed clap has always been inside me. Even as a little girl, I wanted to go to one of these soulful churches I had seen in a few movies. I thought I would have to cross many states and possibly travel time to find what I wanted, but this morning, I fulfilled my dream.
I awoke early to drive to Calvary Baptist Church in Salt Lake City to see Pastor France Davis. My public speaking professor calls him, "The finest public speaker in Utah." He graduated from Berkeley and is the first African American to teach at the University of Utah. He knew Martin Luther King, Jr. and marched by his side.
I arrived at the Calvary Baptist Church at eleven this morning, just on time, yet I didn't need to be in any rush because the sermon didn't start for another hour. I've never been to a church with so much singing! Sometimes I wasn't sure if they were talking or singing, with all the music and the way someone started to talk and then went right back to singing.
Pastor Davis spoke for the final third of the service. When I awoke this morning, I felt the sadness and anxiety I've been trying to fight creep back. I have been praying for help, and I felt that going to this service would not only help me fulfill an assignment and a dream, but give me the answers I need.
That's exactly what happened. I'll be back tomorrow to write about what he said.
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