To Live Life Unashamedly

One of the churches I wanted to visit on my sabbatical was Trinity United

Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side. It's tag line is: "Unashamedly Black. Unapologetically Christian." When Jeremiah Wright was the pastor it went from a membership of 80 to 8,000. The website said that there was a service at 11 a.m. on Sunday so Brett, Matt and I were there by 10:30 a.m. Good thing because parking was at a premium and so was seating.

Everyone we met on the way in greeted us warmly. The choir had 115 members and almost all of them wore African clothing. The visual display of color was beautiful and the music was outstanding. There was also an interpretive dance troupe and a drill team that participated in the service. Otis Moss III is the Senior Minister and he is an excellent preacher. I have had the privilege of hearing him before. The bulletin was about 40 pages long. The order of worship took up one page and the rest consisted of a calendar of events, list of church ministries, space for sermon notes and prayer concerns, as well as several pages that addressed current events: the firing of Shirley Sherrod, Prop 8 and the response to an Islamic Cultural Center being built near Ground Zero.

The worship lasted three hours and the air conditioning had gone out at their 7:30 a.m. service. But it didn't feel like I had been there too long. I felt filled with insight, beauty, celebration and praise. I was grateful to be with my sons and to have that shared experience.

By the time we got some lunch it was after 4 p.m. We really wanted to go up the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and stand out on the clear observation decks. We probably spent more time waiting in line to go up to the "Skydeck" than we did enjoying the view. But it was amazing to see Chicago from that vantage point.

I had done some research and wanted to eat dinner at a particular restaurant that serves hibiscus flan. We arrived 20 minutes before closing and they said we were too late.

Matt had read that they do an hourly water/light/sound show at Buckingham Fountain. So we went back to the fountain and to Millennium Park to check out the "kidney bean" at night. We got back to the hotel and said good bye to Matt.

Matt and his girlfriend, Kairee, accepted a job in Korea while we were there. They will probably leave some time in October. I don't know if our farewell in the hotel lobby will be the last time I get to see Matt for a year. I hope not but if it is, "Travel well, son. I love being with you but I also love your independent, unafraid spirit of living. Enjoy your next adventure."