Last month, I traveled to Atlanta as a trainer in the repair of one of my company’s music delivery platforms. As nice as it is to meet people and see another of my company’s offices, it was pretty much just work. But there were two things that were really great about this trip.
First, my brother, Austin, who works a few hours from Atlanta, managed to come over for a visit one night. My food was all coming from the Publix supermarket down the street from the hotel and office, so this was my one real meal out. We were in the Atlanta suburb of Norcross which neither of us knew, so GPS was how we selected our restaurant. We settled on Polish. For some reason, the restaurant was not there, but in the strip-mall where it should have been was a place called China Garden. We were both starving, so China Garden it was. But as we approached, one glance in the window told us to keep walking – the only people in the restaurant at 7:00pm were behind the counter. The last suite in the mall had a sign for tacos, and nearing it, we could see the place was hopping, and the whole waiting area was full. It was worth the 20 minute wait for a table: a conversation about life, remodeling, careers, neighbors, disappearing garbage cans, and theology over a couple 32oz Dos Equis, fajitas, and a shrimp quesadilla. So if you’re in Norcross Georgia and the choice is Polish, Chinese, or Mexican, head for Kiko’s Tacos. Taking your brother is recommended.
Second, I was looking for an Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod congregation that held a Lenten service on Wednesday. I went to the Synod website, www.lcms.org, and started looking near the hotel. To my surprise, I had to go thirteen miles before I found one in Tucker. There were a bunch of them closer that had “family night”, or youth group, or some other function that night, but none closer than St. Mark Lutheran Church had an actual Lenten Service. I was surprised because of the four LCMS churches I have been a member of, all have (or at least had) Wednesday Lenten services.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ll be honest here – this is in the South, and population demographics are somewhat different than in the Northwest from whence I hail. My high school had one black student, the Student Body President in my senior year. My university had three black students, one of which I sang with in the men’s choir. Perusing St. Mark Lutheran’s website I saw the pictures of three pastors – two of them were black, and the white one was an interim pastor. I just wasn’t sure what it would be like. Would I know the hymns? Would they even sing what I know as hymns, or would it be some other kind of songs? Would I even be able to follow along? Of the three Sunday services described, one is English, one is Wengalawit Eritrean, and the other appeared to be another congregation. What is Wengalawit Eritrean? But for whatever reason, this is the congregation I found, so this was where I was headed.
I was greeted by several parishioners just as soon as I chose a pew and sat down. Of course, they asked my name, where I was from, and how long I would be there. They seemed disappointed I was leaving on Friday. They had Lutheran Service Book in the hymnal racks, much newer than The Lutheran Hymnal that is at my home congregation in Vancouver Washington. The sanctuary was modest, and not too big, with old stained glass windows set into thick walls. Rev. Dr. Wilton Heyliger approached me and asked some of the same questions his parishioners had, although I had more questions for him than he had of me. I asked about the three different services on Sunday, and he told me that this is one of the most unique worshipping communities in the United States – St. Mark has two services, one in English, and one in Eritrean, and then the third is a separate congregation, Incarnate Word Lutheran, that uses the facilities of St. Mark. Rev. Heyliger is the pastor of Incarnate Word, and since this was a joint service, he would do the liturgy, and interim pastor Rodger Meyer would preach the sermon. I asked what Eritrean meant, and he said Eritrea is a country, very small and right beside Ethiopia, and the language there is the Tigrinya language, in case I know it. I replied that I not only didn’t know Tigrinya, but that I did not even know a place such as Eritrea existed! Rev. Heyliger smiled, and assured me it did, and that this community of immigrants to the United States worships here on Sundays.
Looking back, I don’t know what all my apprehension was about. It was mostly the same as back home. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (LSB 425), Psalm 119, John 14, Let Us Ever Walk With Jesus (LSB 685), Law and Gospel sermon, Offertory, You Are the Way (LSB 526), Prayers, Collect for Peace, Lord’s Prayer, Luther’s Evening Prayer, Benediction, Oh that the Lord Would Guide My Ways (LSB 707). And though the words were all printed in the bulletin, I was actually able to use the hymnal here. I loved it.
The cross over the chancel in St. Mark’s is made entirely of square nails brazed together.