Bright and early one Sunday morning while sweltering in Dress Code One, 26 WIPpers and 7 SAWIPpers arrived at Mount Lebanon for a Baptist church service. For many of us interns, it was a new experience. We packed into the church where a gospel choir was singing with passion and poise. Several of the congregation was very enthused- standing, singing, swaying with the beat. There was a lady playing the piano and a young man on percussion. That day, it was the turn of the women’s choir who were Sister Act-esque in their performance. The WIP crew stood and clapped, a little too politely perhaps, until the pastor arrived and greeted us. His words of welcome were rousing, ending with a call on the choir to sing and the congregation to intersperse. “You’re like vanilla and chocolate chips”, he said, “and we need to mix it up”. And so, the choir sang and the white WIPpers mingled with the predominantly (though not exclusively) black congregation. The SAWIPpers too mingled. The sermon was a change from my personal experience. The Pastor referenced one brief line of scripture, rather than reading a whole passage, and preached about the dangers of the labels we place on others. He spoke about Jesus as if he were a friend alive today and living in our world. The political was never far more the pulpit, and congregation’s desire for Obama in the White House was very evident. For perhaps the first time, I genuinely realized the barriers which his candidacy has broken. Undoubtedly, it was a scenario similar to this one that bred the Jeremiah Wright controversy, although this pastor was less controversial.
Before concluding the service, SAWIPper Thamsanqha Ledwaba spoke on behalf of the group. He offered sincere gratitude for their warm welcome and endless hospitality. He spoke about the ethos of the program, of service and leadership, and how it relates to the message of Jesus.
Having concluded the service, we went to the church’s basement for a delicious traditional Southern Lunch of mashed potatoes and fried chicken. We celebrated the joint birthdays of the Pastor and WIP Intern Aoibhin O’Hare, with a big cake, of course. Both the WIP and SAWIP groups gave a brief performance to the crowd, including a rendition of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and “In the Jungle” from “The Lion King”.
Lastly, an elder member of the Church Community stood and spoke about her first meeting with Carole Wheeler (founder of WIP) and how the relationship between Mount Lebanon and the Washington Ireland Program has endured for many years now. Finally leaving the Church, one hoped that that bond would continue to prosper for many years to come.
