Sheep and Goats
St. Paul's Cathedral displays a kind of unadorned majesty. Long green banners, tiny stations of the cross, and a couple of Madonna-and-child paintings are all that break up the great expanses of smooth, gray-green concrete …
Father Acker first addressed the congregation clad in a white cassock with an embroidered green stole knotted into his rope belt. His chasuble hung over a nearby chair. In contrast to these formal trappings, his …
The service opened with film clips: Adam Sandler doing a slow burn in Anger Management and Jane Fonda exploding with fury in Monster-in-Law . The congregation laughed throughout. Then a round of songs, ranging from …
Pastor Misael Zaragoza was a Navy Seal in the Vietnam War, and it was his idea to hold a patriotic celebration service, which bore a strong military emphasis. But it opened with straightforward praise: Eddie …
On June 21, the first day of summer, San Diego First Assembly Women's Ministries held their first meeting of Hot Summer Nights ("Fun in the Son"). The walls in the spacious meeting room were tan, …
"Men in Our Lives: A Litany for Father's Day" opened the service. The congregation recited, "Blessed are you, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, wellspring of all generations. As did our fathers in ages past, so …
"Lord Jesus," said worship leader Jason Denison after the opening set, "we come before you with all kinds of stuff going on in our lives.... Would you meet us where we're at, Lord Jesus? Would …
"We were meant to live for so much more/ Have we lost ourselves?" Switchfoot played through the speakers as congregants found their seats for Missiongathering's first service in their new venue, there amid the Moroccan-tinged …
The hard rat-a-tat of the drums set the beat for the choir as they processed into the high-ceilinged church. Swaying, bouncing, and clapping, they mounted the stage and sang out in a near-shout over the …
When Pastor Terry Miller arrived at Ocean Beach First Baptist two and a half years ago, he had a desire to "open the doors, warm up the service, and lift up praise." He wanted a …
"This is what I like worship to be like," said one teenaged boy to another before the service began. "A guitar solo in every song." He was right. The opening 25 minutes might have been …
"Holy Spirit, we invite you into this place," intoned the singer from the stage of the plush green Sanctuary. "Have your way. We love you." Then he broke into buoyant song, his driving acoustic guitar …
"Welcome to the 15th Annual Good Friday 'Walk with the Suffering,'" said Rosemary Johnston from the flatbed of the truck parked in front of the County Health Building on Pacific Highway. "We're going to be …
"I am so excited," said Pastor Jack Forness as he opened the Maundy Thursday service at East Valley Christian Fellowship. "We get to start to minister on this Easter weekend and be excited about what …
"What makes this day special?" asked Pastor Bruce Humphrey of the crowd seated beneath the octagonal dome that is the roof of Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church. The congregation answered, "This is the Sunday we …
When the band started at Eastlake Community Church's 11:30 a.m. upper campus service, Pastor Ben Sigman was not in the building. He was still down the hill at the church's more churchlike lower campus, finishing …