Church

10/05/08

We were invited to church with Walter, one of the village elders who also happens to be in ANYO. I borrowed a long skirt from Sema—green and purple. It was too big so I rolled the waist 3 times and held it up as I walked, which was hard to do because the fabric was surprisingly heavy and thick. Walter, wearing a traditional African robe, met us outside the church, located next to the schools.

Global Evangelical Church is made of stone and cement with a stage-like area set one step above the rest to house the alter—a wooden platform draped with a white cloth. There were ten elders wearing robes, which are really colorful togas. We sat with Walter on the right side of he alter with 3 other elders. Facing us in the front 2 rows of pews (lined up plastic lawn chairs) were the other 6 elders. I consider these men extra-elders because they sat most of the service and when they did get up for the offering dance, they moved extremely slowly. Across the alter, to the left sat the choir, decked out in black graduation robes, complete with cap and tassel.

The church was very intricate, especially considering that every building in the village is built by the people in the village, with their own tools, their own hands, their own skills. There are 3 sets of giant wooden double doors, each with biblical carvings. There are 302 small openings, or windows, at the top of the walls stretching to the rafters. A large intricate stone cross sits beyond the rafters, above the main entrance to the church.

The service in total lasted 3 hours, and by the end I could barely breathe I was so hot wearing Sema’s skirt. The first hour was dedicated to singing and dancing, which was amazing to watch. They have drums that were playing in the choir or would be placed within the pews to accompany the congregation. The center of the church was designated for dancing, where people would get up and dance in circles, or in a conga line fashion, or as they made their way to the collection box.

The rest of the service consisted of prayers and readings in Ewe, where Emil did much of the preaching as the catechist of the church, concluding with more singing and dancing. Walter did his short reading in English for us, which was really nice. The rest of the service we just sat and listened to the prayers and readings in Ewe. It was almost meditating. I let my mind wander and I’d watch the congregation. One of the elders facing me was down on his hands and knees over his bible. Other women were walking around the church with their arms stretched up, singing and swaying to the songs and prayers. Sunday school was being conducted in one of the schools next to the church, for ages 2-17. Some women in church had their babies resting on their backs, wrapped with a giant piece of fabric. With all of the women dancing, I wondered about the head support, as I watched the babies bounce in their wraps like bobble-heads.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience to watch so many of the community come together and worship in this way.