Personal Narrative: My Visit To The United Methodist Church

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Visiting the University United Methodist Church on a Sunday morning, I was welcomed by worshippers who stood at the entrance. Following them to the church interior, I saw that there are two rows of pews and one main aisle that lead straight to the altar, which has a bible and a vessel of holy water on it. On the right of it, there is an organ to accompany hymns. On the left of the altar, there is a pulpit and tables of candles. Above all of those things, the image of Jesus Christ appears in a stained glass window of many different colors. That is the only image of the holy saint I saw because Christianity follows monotheism, which is the belief in the existence of only one God. The colorful window with the Jesus Christ image symbolizes …show more content…

After that, worshippers sang hymns and called to worship together. They also had a time to pray. They acknowledged that they were in a sacred space. Everyone kept silence and bowed down. I did not know what they were thinking when praying. I guessed that their thoughts were about God. Next, the clergy announced the following events in church and read scripture. Following Smart’s dimensions, worshipers were in a practical and ritual one. It refers to the practices and rituals that provide spiritual awareness of adherents. To worshippers, everything in the church is something sacred. From physical things to hymn and anthem, all of them illustrate the beliefs in Jesus Christ. Eliade defined the ideas of the sacred and the profane. Those worshippers have one belief, so tangible and intangible things are seen as sacred things in their eyes.
This event engaged the emotions of the participants, including me. There was a kind of connection among participants. They were connected to believe in the presence of God in the community through hymns and prayers. They were also connected to share feelings and empathies with people who in a tragic accident in Las Vegas through the community news session. About the rational side, participants had studied the Bible and knew already what was good to do and what sin to avoid. They experienced Smart’s emotional and experiential

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