Attending service at Pilgrims' Rest Baptist Church.
On June 6, 2008, I was able to visit the Pilgrims Rest Baptist church in Phoenix, AZ. This Friday evening was unlike any I have ever experience before. The building is two stories high and can be easily confused to be an office building, except for the cross that hangs on the facade. Upon entering the facility, greeters welcomed me into the Worship center and escorted me to the sanctuary where the ushers then escort you to your seat. The sanctuary is in a mini U shape, it has the pulpit in the center with all the pews surrounding it, which allows for a good visual from any angle. They had banners with vibrant colors flowing in the air through out the sanctuary. On this night, their main speaker is the visiting Bishop Blake of the Church of God in Christ.
The sanctuary quickly filled with lots of people being assembled into the sanctuary like a herd of sheep. People had come from all over to worship the Lord with the man of God. The thunder of the Prayer set the tone for the evening. The instrumentals that were located on the left side of the pulpit, where the music sounded like thunder and lightning bouncing back and forth off the walls. Because of the vibrations, it was hard to remain seated. The choir is located in the back of the pulpit they are belting out an amazingly strong and powerful voice that just flows through the air as they sing Zion songs.
During the service, you would hear someone in the congregation shout out Praise God or Hallelujahs. People felt free in the spirit and worship, which they danced all around the church praising God. They had an outlined program that they go by, but it states that the "Program is subject to change by the Holy Ghost." It continued to change the three hours that I was present. The program was very long and exhausting, but it was very spiritual filled and heart felt. They took up numerous offerings for different auxiliaries while all the time praising God in the dance. The atmosphere was like no other that I had experienced. As the night went on, they had different speakers up to usher the program along for the main speaker to take the podium. Service went forth and the Bishop delivers a powerful, life-changing sermon.
