One Foundation

It was a folding chair kind of Sunday at Second yesterday. The many events involved in dedicating the church’s new facilities drew many people—probably 400 at the main church service, considering that the sanctuary holds 380 people—including guests from the community, members of the media, former pastors, staff members and musicians. It was a full day’s worth of activities; I was there for almost seven hours. The day was an honor to be a part of, and I’m sure it was much more special for those who have been around since the September 17, 2003 fire. I’ve only been around for the fun parts of this journey—writing my name on the concrete sub floor, being here for the last few months of worship in the activity center and witnessing the first Sunday in the new sanctuary and the completion of the new organ. I have seen this congregation’s identity change so much since the first time I worshipped here. Second has changed from a community primarily marked by the tragedy of the fire to a community whose mission of involvement in the community has been restored.

The day started with me trying to figure out how to play “His Banner over Me is Love.” I was asked to play the piano for the little kids who were going to sing it in church. We didn’t have any music for it, so I was playing off some chord symbols I scrawled on a piece of junk mail from listening to the rendition by the Cedarmont Kids I downloaded from iTunes. After I got everything figured out for the most part, it was off to Sunday School, where the first in a series of visits from mayoral candidates was happening. Karl Dean spoke to us for the hour and took questions. I had met him a few weeks earlier when he came to Second for church as guests of some of our members. He was pretty impressive, and I will probably support either him or David Briley, who is coming next week to speak. Now I just need to register to vote. Bob Clement will be coming in July, after a long time of not being willing since he wouldn’t have the ability to pre-screen the questions, and the other two campaigns haven’t committed yet.

A very large crowd gathered for the one morning worship service we had at 11:00. We remembered the past, and celebrated the present, and looked to the future. I was able to manage remembering how “His Banner over Me” went and played “Little Children Come unto Me” from memory, which I also had trouble doing before the service. The preacher for the day was Rev. Steve Hancock, from Little Rock, who was Second’s Pastor for most of the 1990s. Also present were former pastor Ben Sparks, who used to edit the Presbyterian Outlook, and former associate pastors Kim Rodrigue and Stacy Rector. During communion, we used my favorite liturgy, which remembers those who make our bread, and used communion ware that dated from the 1840s, and which was stolen at one point by the Union army. Long-time members of the church served communion, which was quite moving.

After church, we gathered outside and in the activity center for a great lunch. I sat with some of my friends from the Nashville Homeless Power Project who I know from the Campus, one of whom is formerly homeless and the other who is currently homeless. The formerly homeless woman attended Second as a child, growing up in an upper middle class Green Hills family, and her parents were married in Second's previous building. They came as representatives of that organization since they receive mission grant money from Second. After lunch, we were invited to go to a different space in the church where different dedication liturgies would be read concurrently: the choir room, Peaceable Kingdom, fellowship hall, steeple, etc. I chose the cyber café. We read stories of Jesus offering the gift of food and fellowship to the disciples and said a brief prayer of dedication for that new space, which includes a great sound and lighting system for performances, as well as lots of coffee making supplies that we have all been enjoying on Sunday mornings.

After the dedication of the various spaces of the church, the whole group gathered outside under the steeple. I was a part of the procession into the new sanctuary, which was led by a bagpiper. We stopped outside the sanctuary doors and read a liturgy for the opening of the doors, then sang “To God Be The Glory” as we entered. The afternoon service, which was the formal dedication, was very nice. The main portion included prayers of dedication for different parts of the sanctuary: the pulpit, font, and table. The organist, Nancy Turner, and I together led the prayer of dedication for the piano and organ. Then the entire assembly raised their hands and read a prayer of dedication for the entire sanctuary. A liturgical dancer interpreted the psalm, the choir sang a fantastic anthem written by our interim choir director Greg Gunther, and Jim preached a great sermon on holy vessels. At the end, we sang one of my favorite hymns, “The Church’s One Foundation.”

Instead of a normal postlude, there was an organ dedication concert, which I was invited to play in, along with three others: Dr. Douglas Murray from First Pres., Dr. Polly Brecht from Westminster Pres., and our organist Nancy Turner. I played some of my normal pieces, selections from Timothy Albrecht’s Grace Notes, Joe Utterback’s “Spirit of God Descend Upon My Heart” from The Jazz Gospel, and Karg-Elert’s Now Thank We All Our God. Things were going well until I lost one of the photocopied pages that I had made so I wouldn’t have to turn pages. It probably wasn’t my best performance ever, but lots of people said nice things afterward.

Second has made for itself a home where its sense of mission is literally built into its new spaces. From the spaces provided for spiritual reflection, like the prayer room and the children’s worship room, to a sanctuary that reflects our Presbyterian heritage, being in the shape of a Celtic cross, to spaces intentionally designed for hosting our Room In The Inn guests, Second Presbyterian is speaking its commitment to bringing forth God’s reign in this time and place.

Almighty God, we dedicate this place to your worship, that in prayer and praise, in Word and Sacrament, we may know your will and experience your peace and power in our lives. Let this be a place of refuge for those who suffer or sorrow, a fortress for those besieged by temptation, a beacon to light the way in darkness. May we enter your gates with thanksgiving and come into your courts with praise. Trusting in Jesus Christ, we dedicate this sanctuary in your name, you who are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Amen.

As we dedicate this place, O God, we rededicate our lives to the service of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory now and forever. Amen.