Christ Presbyterian explores a new way to do church

MICHELE MARR

Seven years ago, when Jeff Ludington began to look for a place where

he could deepen his relationship with God, he had a tough time

finding a church that meshed with his style -- until he stumbled on

ROCKharbor Church in Costa Mesa.

At ROCKharbor, the music was loud and a lot like the music

Ludington chose to listen to in his car. The pastor’s teachings

connected to his questions about God and with his concerns about how

to live in this world. Nearly half the congregation was between 18

and 26.

It’s an age group, Ludington said, that is overlooked and often

misunderstood in most churches.

“There is always a strong push for youth ministry. [Children] are

kept [in] separate [age-appropriate groups] from diapers to high

school graduation, then all of a sudden, there they are, in [with]

the rest of the church,” he explained.

When the members and clergy of Christ Presbyterian Church -- which

has a booming ministry to junior high school and high school youths

-- reflected on the congregation’s growth and the pressing need for

larger facilities, they noticed this pastoral hole at their own

church and decided to do something about it.

When they began to look for someone to be the church’s minister to

college students and young adults, Ludington was recommended to them.

He and his wife Lisa had been in leadership positions at ROCKharbor

for three and a half years, working with the men’s and women’s

ministries, and the small group and college programs.

The south Huntington Beach church hired Jeff Ludington in July to

develop a ministry to young adults ages 18 to 30.

His foremost objective, as he began his work, was to initiate a

Saturday evening worship service that would appeal to young adults

who have grown up in a high-tech, multimedia culture. I met Jeff and

Lisa Ludington on July 31 at a beta version of that worship service,

which has been dubbed “EMERGE!”

Several dozen young adults in casual attire drifted into the

sanctuary, greeting each other with smiles and sometimes, among the

young women, hugs.

When the service began, an ad hoc band of guitarists, bass

players, drummer and vocalists scattered on a stage at the front of

the church and accompanied the congregation as they stood to sing a

medley of popular worship songs. Two rows of overhead Klieg lamps

helped set the mood.

Midway through the service, Jeff Ludington walked to the front of

the sanctuary to deliver his message. Dressed in shorts and a plaid

cotton shirt, his head shaved, arms tattooed and an earring in each

ear, the 35-year-old minister could easily have passed for a member

of the young congregation.

His message, on Jesus’ statement “I am the bread of life” -- one

of eight statements by Jesus known as the “I am statements” -- was

punctuated by video clips of him interviewing several young adults on

Main Street Downtown. Ludington asked each one of them to complete

the sentence, “I am ...,” a request often met first with

bewilderment, then an attempt at finishing the sentence with phrases

such as, “I am alive,” or “I am here.”

Ludington’s message began a series meant to illustrate who the

creator is in ways that would be significant to his youthful

congregation.

The service was unmistakably a worship service with hymns, albeit

contemporary, and a message from the pastor, followed by Holy

Communion and more hymns. It ended with a familiar benediction. But

some things were not quite worship-as-usual.

The offering was collected in plastic buckets, no felt-lined brass

plates here. The Communion chalice was stoneware, not gold or silver.

The music had a beat you could dance to.

Jeff Ludington named the new service at Christ Presbyterian

Church, “EMERGE!” because he sees his congregation as an “emerging

generation,” the future of the church. He wants to be sure they have

a place where they can become grounded in their faith through

dialogues and experiences that are of interest to them.

“[I] want them to feel like church is there for them, not just

[expecting] them to have their parents’ relationship with Christ,” he

said.

The Saturday evening service will also give those who work with

the church’s youth ministry on Sunday morning an opportunity to come

to worship without a schedule conflict.

On Saturday, EMERGE! will make its official debut after an

afternoon of barbecue and games, which will include a bocce ball

tournament. Any college student or young adult is welcome to attend,

whether or not he or she is a member of Christ Presbyterian Church.

* MICHELE MARR is a freelance writer from Huntington Beach. She

can be reached at michele@soulfoodfiles.com.