Bryan would probably be comfortable in any church setting on a Sunday morning. He is a member of two congregations right now, neither of which he attends physically. I think he misses it. Covid put a stop to that for two-plus years.

This past Sunday, I played at an Episcopal church in Doylestown. Bryan accompanied his dad to worship. He entered into the very high church service wholeheartedly. Crossing himself at appropriate times, communing with others, kneeling on the kneelers, bowing his head reverencing the cross – these are all things uncommon to the churches he belongs to and used to attend. He watches, observes, and then acts – adapting to the particular form of worship he is participating in. In a more fundamentalist-type service, you would probably see him raising his hands and swaying if that is what the congregation or pastors were doing.

After worship Sunday, he went around to each and every stained glass window, writing down all of the information inscribed in the colorful glass. At one window, I explained about who St. Francis was and why there were birds pictured in the glass. He was fascinated to find two crossed swords at one window. I must find out what the significance of that is! He spent at least fifteen minutes examining and note-taking.

When I asked him if he wanted to go back to attending an actual service on a Sunday morning, he told me of his Sunday morning routine – he watches either one of the two services from the churches where he is a member at 10:00. At 10:30-11:00 he tunes into the Lehigh First Baptist Church. And from 11:00-12:00 he watches the “Hour of Power”. All quite different from the service he attended on Sunday.

And, yet, it all fulfills a need he has – to commune with the Lord and to feel a part of something larger than he. Corporate worship. In whatever form, live or in person, I know God is smiling down on Bryan as he praises Him in whatever conservative or liberal congregation he is led to. All point the way to God. And that’s what is important to Bryan.