What is church like?

Okay, so I know it has been awhile since I’ve written a real blog. I guess it’s time that I make an effort. Today I will attempt to write about what my church is like here. During the school year church starts at 10 am. I actually get to sleep in. Church is only a 20-25 minute walk. It is actually a fairly relaxing morning. I don’t have to deal with public transportation and I get to have some fresh air. When I get to church there are always a few male Russian greeters. They say hello but other than that they pretty much ignore me. Inside there are two Nigerian young women who are also greeters. Sometimes they give me a hug. They always smile and ask how I am doing. They are very friendly. They Russians are friendly too. It is not really appropriate for the men to be very friendly with me.
Right now the church meets in a theater. It’s not a movie theater but more like a drama theater. This morning the church started right on time. That was very shocking to me. The worship team starts the service. The worship team usually consists of four young girls who sing. They have amazing voices and harmony. They practice together for HOURS every week. There is a keyboardist who is also a young woman. Two men, one is a drummer and the other plays guitar. Then another young woman who plays the violin. They are an amazing group. The songs are projected on power point. We sing for about half an hour while every one stands. Then the children are invited up front and everyone stands and stretches out their hands while we pray over the children. I would guess around 40 children go up front every week and there are at least 200 people in the service. They children are dismissed to children’s church. So if you are under 4 you are either in the service or in the foyer with a parent.
After the music the first preacher goes up to preach. He will preach anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Usually there is also a second preacher. Some use power point but most do not. I don’t think I have ever heard the same person preach twice. They give many people a chance to preach. After the sermons there are announcements. One a month is communion. Once a month they celebrate birthdays. Then they take prayer requests. Some people pray allowed from where they are at. When we pray we always stand. Some women cover their heads when they pray. At the end of the service is the offering.
Today church lasted for 2 hours and 20 minutes. While it is a good service and it definitely helps me to hear that much Russian. It is very difficult to sit there and listen when you understand maybe one word in each sentence. There is a brief overview of a Russian Evangelical church service for you.