Today started out just like any other Sunday morning, with everyone going to church. Sunday morning service is nothing new to most of the people on the trip, but Sunday morning services in Newark definitely are. Different groups split up to go to different churches around Newark, and the group I went with traveled to New Hope Baptist Church. I had no idea what to expect, but New Hope does a REALLY good job of grabbing your attention.
At first, you walk into a beautiful sanctuary, and are grasped by a loud and energetic congregation and band. What is so amazing is that New Hope Baptist Church does the same basic things that the churches in Westchester do, but they do them in a different way. Offering was broken into different colored baskets, each devoted to different areas of the church. Worship was less structured, which surprisingly made it better. The congregation was moved by the music, and responded with praise, clapping, and dancing. The pastor, Joe A. Carter, who half spoke/half sung his messages, was filled with energy. The message was based around one of the last chapters in Revelation, which referred to Jesus as the bright morning star. His references and analogies were easily understood and applicable to our everyday lives. All in all, I felt energized and refreshed after church, and motivated to get out of my comfort zone for the rest of this week. If I get out of my comfort zone and am rewarded by an experience like New Hope every time, I’m definitely going to be looking to get out of my comfort zone more often. -Chris Neral
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