Wonderful Church

 

Beautiful Church

I had a wonderful time at a church last Sunday. This church is called Cathedral. That was my third time to go to a church, because I went to another church with my group and host family last semester. However, this church was the most impressive one for me. Before I went there, I was a little bit scared because of misunderstanding. I'm not a Christian, so I don't know what behavior is good or bad. I knew the church people are very kind, but I didn't want to hurt their feelings. However, my groundless fears never came true. I had wonderful experience at there.

First, I was very surprised how beautiful windows were. They are called "stained glass." I have never seen such big and beautiful windows. They were glittering with a lot of colors because of sunshine. Each wall of the sitting area had five stained glasses. They showed us the story of Jesus. One side showed us the first part of Jesus story, from birth to adulthood. Another side showed us the second part, from adulthood to death. It was helpful for me to understand about Jesus. At the same time it relaxed me because these were really beautiful.

Next, I was also surprised about Christian's behavior. For example, before they enter the church, they purified themselves with holy water. After entering, they kneel beside a bench before sitting. I have never seen such a thing before. At my last two church visits, people didn't do such a thing, so that is why I was surprised.

Finally, I heard many amazing holy songs. These had such beautiful sounds. I couldn't see at that time, but there was a church orchestra and a pipe organ player. The main vocal lady had a clear voice, so I was impressed by her. I'm not a Christian, but I came to like holy songs. The sounds of pipe organ were heavy and dramatic. It made me sacred. I didn't know that Christians have so many songs. I thought just five or something, so I was surprised when I looked at a song book. It showed us hundreds songs. That was a big surprise for me. Some of songs are known in Japan, so I could sing with other Christians. It was a wonderful experience for me.

Visiting this church was a really good experience, because I learned some new things. It will be helpful to study American history and culture. In addition, I realized that religious understanding is very important. Church people welcomed us whether we are Christians or not, and also they taught us a lot of interesting things. This visit gave me new feelings, and made me happy.