Congregation : The Journey Back to Church

Rating:
Summary: Honest appraisal of historic Congregational church.
Review: Honest appraisal of historic Congregational church.
October 1, 2001
Pastor, George W. Fisk, St. Joseph, MI

Gary Dorsey, professional writer, seeking to write a "different book" chose to spend a year with a New England Congregational church whose history dates back to 1630. "How I wondered could Van (the senior pastor) lead an authentic spiritual journey in a place where the rehearsal and preparation for any event could no longer be separated, even by death or miracles, from the steady downpour of timebound courtesy and customs? How could he continue to promise growth if the congregation kept getting mired in the sucking mud of church politics and bad theology? Worship-making wore on and on like a particularly vile brand of Protestant water torture." Although too frequent committee meetings with time consuming discussions drained the pastor's spiritual resources, nevertheless at other times he would encounter unexpected moments of great depth. "Just a few weeks ago a devoted member, had fallen down a set of stairs and broken his hip. He was getting his affairs in order as he lay dying. Van stayed only for a short while, but before he left the bedside, the old fellow touched his hand and blessed him with the benediction. What had he done to deserve that?" The author provides abundant humorous relief with accounts such as: "Dick McCarthy filled in for Fran by playing solo piano at Sunday morning services. Unlike the formal, liturgically correct pieces chosen by Francis Angelo, Dick McCarthy's relaxed repertoire masked a capricious jazz style. Slowing rhythms to a meditative pulse and draping cloudy flourishes around melodic lines, he played "Old Man River," Mack the Knife," and "I Did It My Way" all summer without anyone noticing.'

From the signs in and about the church the congregation seemed to be more interested in their history than their religion. At the end of the year with the church the author concludes, though sometimes shallow, nevertheless heroic depth and heart can be found in the two pastors and congregation.

Rating:
Summary: An Insider's Review
Review: I have the particular distinction of actually being <I>part</I> of this Congregation. I was here when Gary was with us, and knew him (still do) as a friend. I LOVED this book, and am re-reading it again as I type this. He not only portrayed the life of our congregation very truly, he wove in his own story, something I'm sure he didn't anticipate happening. It's fun to read again, as I remember things that happened back when he was here, and I wish he could write a follow-up. :-)

Thank you for a wonderful Book, Gary!!

Rating:
Summary: Clear-eyed, unsentimental inside look
Review: Stepping inside the cultural icon of an establishment congregation, Dorsey offers a clear-eyed, unsentimental story of clergy who practice faith as a profession and members whose lives are changed by their evolving faith. What begins as a documentary becomes a story that wraps the author into its own telling. If you've ever been a religious skeptic, Dorsey's careful journalistic discipline will comfort your appreciation of an objective accounting of the people in the congregation, their possible motives, their habits, decisions, attitudes, and the consequences of their thoughts. Likewise, if you have ever become aware of your own faith journey, Dorsey's keen-edged portrait of his own emerging search will drive the story in your direction. Skeptic or believer, the level of writing matches the complexity of story and the observer's growing relationship with the subjects. I kept holding my breat, waiting for Dorsey to take easy shots at the vulnerable or to become squishy about acting on one's faith. That never happened. But what is a breath of fresh air is Dorsey's willingness to drop an easy skepticism and do the hard work of real reporting. If you've ever been a member of a congregation of any denomination or faith, this book will ring true to you. Don't be surprised if you pass it on to friends!