The Steeple Raising

First picture: The view from our patio at 7:30am today. Second picture: The view from our patio at 12:30pm today.

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Three years ago this past Sunday, much of Second Presbyterian Church’s building burned in an early morning fire, an event that has certainly shaped this congregation’s identity. This afternoon on my lunch break, I was, as a newcomer, able to witness a significant step in the recovery from that fire—the raising of the new steeple. Though the steeple was in place by the time I could get here, I joined several dozen people -- church members, staff members, neighbors and local news crews -- on the lawn for the climactic event: the placing of the cross.

Today’s events were so meaningful for the people of this church who lost the building where their weddings were held, where their children were baptized, where they had nodded off during a sermon or two. Second is such a vibrant congregation, and you could feel the excitement for the future as their new building comes together. Two Sundays ago, an open house of the facility as it exists now was held. As we NEP Volunteers walked through the new building, which is very much still under construction, we commented on how this church was building its mission right into its new facility. The new portion of the building includes the sanctuary, which will have a round configuration, the “Peaceable Kingdom,” which is Second’s church school program, new youth rooms, and a cyber café. As my mentor John McClure said, churches used to have parlors with Victorian furniture, now they have cyber cafes. There is also ample space for the Room in the Inn program, which is actually run by the Campus for Human Development. Various churches around town (currently 150 participate) house homeless people for the night in the cold months (November-March).

We have remarked several times about the unbelievable number of outreach projects that Second Presbyterian undertakes. Second has a high commitment to speaking out on social justice issues such as the death penalty, racism, homelessness, poverty, violence, and gay rights. They are a unique progressive voice here in the Bible Belt. As our pastor Jim Kitchens says, Second Presbyterian is located between Belmont University (formerly Southern Baptist) and Lipscomb University (Church of Christ) and to the left of both.

Worship at Second currently takes place in their fellowship center, which was built just a few years before the fire. I am most excited about the new sanctuary opening in the late fall to be able to hear the great music that happens here in a good acoustic space. There is a lot of music in worship, and the choir is fantastic. The last two weeks, there has been a lot of special music, including a guitar and fiddle duo. The fiddle player is from Patty Loveless’ band. They are currently using a small Rodgers electronic organ, but there are plans for a nice pipe organ in the new space. I haven’t found anyone who can name the organ builder yet.

Perhaps the best thing we’ve found about Second Pres so far is the great hospitality they have shown us. They have welcomed us as a part of their congregation from the minute we arrived. Two Sundays ago on the tour of the new sanctuary, each person was invited to write their name on the cement floor over which a nicer floor will be placed. They made sure that the four of us, though we’ll only be here for a year, got the chance to write a message and sign our names, which we did. Someday when they dig up the ruins of Second Presbyterian and put them in a museum, they will wonder who Jeff Moles, NEP Volunteer 2006-07 from Indiana was.

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PHOTOS