A Different Way to Worship. In Cache Valley Utah, 95% of the population is made up of the Latter-Day Saint (LDS)

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1 Buchanan & Martineau 1 Melanie Buchanan & Bryn Martineau 4 th hour English 1010 Ethnographic Essay 12 May 2011 Audience: Those wanting to learn about other religions A Different Way to Worship In Cache Valley Utah, 95% of the population is made up of the Latter-Day Saint (LDS) faith. In contrast, only 1.1% of the population belongs to Evangelical faiths (Cache County). We are included in the ninety-five percent of that predominant faith in the valley. We agreed that neither of us knew much about other religions, so we chose to observe the Cache Valley Bible Fellowship Church. Through observing their worship services and studying their beliefs, we have learned that there is definitely more than one way to worship in Cache Valley. The Cache Valley Bible Fellowship Church is lead by Pastor Eldon Peterson. Peterson has been a member of the Bible Fellowship Church for twenty-eight years. He graduated from Portland State University majoring in business with an international economics emphasis. He also attended Intervarsity, a Christian school. Along with being the Pastor of the Bible Fellowship Church, he is also one of managers at Oasis Books, a Christian book store located in downtown Logan. The Church s emphasis is the Bible. In a pamphlet provided by the Church it states that they believe that the Bible is the only inspired, infallible and authoritative Word of God, and that God has kept his promise to preserve his word. Furthermore, they hold that the Bible is the final authority for all Christian doctrine and practice. They also believe that there is one unchanging God, creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three

2 Buchanan & Martineau 2 persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They believe in the Human Condition which means, as Adam s offspring, people are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice, therefore, under condemnation. They also believe salvation comes through grace, a gift given freely to all men ( Cache Valley ). The mission statement of the church is: To take the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the community surrounding Logan. We strive to do this through the preaching and teaching of the word, through worship that glorifies God and by the modeling of true Christian community in all of our meetings by striving to care for one another s needs (Peterson, Cache Valley Bible). Before attending the service, we didn t really know what to expect. We did online research on different Bible Fellowship Church websites and found that they all differed in some way or another. For example, the Living Hope Bible Fellowship Church, in Texas, has thirteen articles of faith, whereas the Cache Valley Bible Fellowship Church has only ten. All of the articles differ from one another (Living Hope). Each branch of the Bible Fellowship Church has its own logos, mottos, and mission statements. We wanted to know why each branch was different. In order to get the answer to this question, we decided to talk to Pastor Peterson. Sitting in Oasis Book Store with Peterson, he explained that while other Bible Fellowship churches and other Christian ministries differ, they all have the same core beliefs in Christ uniting them together. Pastor Peterson gave an analogy relating all Christian members to ice cream. For instance, one person may like chocolate and another person vanilla but they both like ice cream. He related this to Christians because while one may prefer the Emmanuel Baptist Church or All Saints Church, another person may think that the Grace Fellowship Church is a better fit for them. He made it clear, however, that it doesn t really matter what church they attend because they re all worshipping Christ.

3 Buchanan & Martineau 3 As we visited with the Pastor, our questions switched to the Bible. We both assumed that they use the King James Version, and were surprised to find out that they don t. Instead, they use the English Standard Version. We also found it interesting that many other Christian churches use different versions of the Bible depending on the preference of the Pastor. After getting a better knowledge of the Bible Fellowship Church s beliefs, we went to observe it for ourselves. Walking onto the church property on Sunday, the first thing we noticed was the big cross that hung on the front of the building. Members were joyfully playing with each other on the green grass and wooden playground, soaking up the sun that had finally decided to show itself after the many months of winter. We wondered if we needed to ask someone if the Sunday service was being held when we saw people hanging out on the roof of the building. As we walked through the front doors, we were welcomed with a warm smile and were given a program for the day s service. As we sat down on the wooden pew, the smell of delicious food filled the air. We observed the interior of the building noticing words of inspiration that hung from the walls. It was slightly confusing to see a band up front, something we never see at our church on Sunday. As the congregation slowly filed in and began to prepare for the service, we were welcomed by members and asked questions about our own faith. We felt a bit overdressed as we came in our Sunday best while the rest of the congregation wore casual jeans and flip flops. After the first half hour of the meeting, our vocal cords were tired! We sang praises nonstop from the time the meeting began. The music, accompanied by a band consisting of drums, guitars, piano, and a lead singer, was very enjoyable. A big screen was provided up front that had the lyrics to their praises projected onto it. The lead singer encouraged all those who were able, to stand and sing along. We were confused when they would suddenly transition into

4 Buchanan & Martineau 4 prayer after singing a song. We found ourselves having to look around to figure out what exactly was going on and tried to follow their lead. One tradition they have that we found unique is their personal prayer. During this time, those who felt inspired to give thanks to the Lord would simply voice it out loud. Throughout the service, there was also Bible study, prayer, and a sermon taught by the Pastor, Eldon Peterson, on relationships bringing us to Christ. One thing we found different from our own religion was a special sermon for the children prior to the adult sermon. The children came up and gathered around the Pastor s feet as he taught them. While Pastor Peterson was giving the adult sermon, he was up walking around, not really using the podium. That is very different from our religion. It was interesting to see how people acted during the service. Everyone was busy doing their own things. One man was sitting down reading from the Bible, another crocheting, while others were holding their hands up, outstretched to the Lord. At the end of the sermon, Pastor Peterson invited all those who believe in Christ, visitors or not, to come and partake of their sacrament, which was some type of wafer and wine. After the service ended, we barely had a chance to talk with each other before being surrounded and welcomed by more young adult members. They were quick to invite us to their potluck dinner and we felt their friendship despite the fact that we had just met them. We both agree that this was a great assignment as it helped open our eyes to what is around us. We now realize that in a community where majority of people are LDS, it is critical that we understand other belief systems. Through learning what others believe, it helps us better understand them as individuals and in knowing how to communicate with them. After observing the Bible Fellowship Church, we now know that there is definitely more than one way to worship.

5 Buchanan & Martineau 5 Works Cited Cache County, Utah (UT) Religion Statistics Profile-Logan, Smithfield, Hyrum, North Logan, Providence. Advameg, Web. 16 May Cache Valley Evangelical Statement of Faith: A Testimony of Our Unity in Christ. Pamphlet. Freedom Christian Fellowship Utah State Navigators. 11 May Living Hope Bible Fellowship Church. Ecropolis, Living Hope Bible Fellowship, Web. 29 Apr Peterson, Eldon. Cache Valley Bible Fellowship. ForMinistery, Web. 28 Apr Peterson, Eldon. Personal interview. 10 May 2011.