First Presbyterian Church

During this class unit we have been focusing on the ways that people who have differences come together in places known as contact zones. In order to investigate the idea of a local church as a contact zone, I visited First Presbyterian Church in downtown Goshen. Based on the evidence that I have collected, it appears that First Presbyterian is making a strong effort to reach out to the community, but there are obstacles that stand in the way.

I visited the church two times, and both were Sunday mornings during the Lent series. The service seemed to follow a fairly traditional pattern, involving scripture readings, hymns, congregational responses, sermon, confessions, and prelude/postlude. I noticed that that although all of the songs came from the Presbyterian Hymnal, none of the members needed the book to sing along. To me, this suggests that many of the songs are traditional and have been a part of their worship for a very long time. Habits like this can be very comforting and familiar for the members of the church, but can also be intimidating to a visitor who is not as familiar with the songs.

The church itself is in a very nice building right in the middle of downtown Goshen. Driving around the neighborhood makes it clear that, although the neighborhood is not rich by any means, it probably would fall into the middle-class range. Driving one block in one direction from the church would lead you back to Main Street, and a block the other direction ends up in residential neighborhood.

In terms of the people who attend the church, First Presbyterian is struggling with its diversity in both age and ethnicity. In my interview with Senior Pastor Allen Griffin, he freely shared that the increasing age of the congregation is currently one of their greatest challenges. He also was able to share some demographic information with me, and of the current 251 members, 6 are Latino, 1 is African American, and 4 are Asian. Compared to the high rates of diversity in Goshen, these numbers are clearly much less than average.

One of the ways that First Presbyterian is a very effective contact zone is through their outreach and community service programs. In addition to a food pantry, a community Christmas meal,  involvement with Habitat for Humanity, The Window, and One Great Hour of Sharing, the church also has a relationship with the nearby work release center. Through the center, people who are transitioning out of the prison system can find jobs and begin the process of re-acclimating to society. Pastor Griffin stated, “Many of us refuse to believe we could ever have legal trouble. Connections like these bridge the gap in thought that begins to break down our sense of ‘other’.”

First Presbyterian Church faces many different obstacles that limit them from becoming the ideal contact zone. However, the ways that the church does reach out to the community are valuable and effective, and should not be discredited. Especially in the case of a church, no organization will ever be perfectly open and accommodating to every person. Recognizing that fact (while still attempting to reach as many people as possible) allows places like First Presbyterian to function and minister effectively in a community like Goshen.

Work Cited:

Griffin, Allen L. Personal interview. 17 Mar. 2013.