Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 2, 1994 TAG: 9410030022
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: FRANCES STEBBINS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Long
At the close of the 10 a.m. worship last Sunday the whole congregation of about 40 gathered around the Communion table and pulpit while the Rev. Lyle E. Morton, pastor, prayed for a long list of the sick and troubled listed in the church bulletin. Worshipers gathered round, adding their own prayers. The petitions were summed up in a pastoral prayer.
Before this community prayer - "altar call" as it's listed in the bulletin - Morton had what others might call an altar call but what New Mount Olive's people refer to as "an invitation to Christian discipleship." This was accompanied by gospel singing led by the eight-member unrobed choir directed by Ronald James.
Throughout the hour-long service, music and the pastor's words were interrupted by softly voiced "Amens" and "That's rights." Though a congregation of the United Methodist Church in the Holston Conference, New Mount Olive is a black church and retains the warm enthusiasm that is more ardently expressed in pentecostal bodies such as its neighbor, the Church of God in Christ, down the street.
Morton and his wife, Vera, said they want people to be joyous. Another opportunity comes midway through the service when guests are asked to make themselves known and the whole congregation gets out of the red padded pews and spends nearly five minutes blessing, hugging and shaking hands with the known and unknown.
Some of the exuberance may come from the pastor's previous affiliation with the Missionary Baptist denomination. For more than eight years before 1993 the Mortons lived in the nearby community of New River where he served a Baptist congregation.
He became a United Methodist, he said after the service, because he likes the greater structure of church administration and the more formal liturgy. A major reason for his change also was to meet a need for minority pastors in United Methodism. That denomination, one of the strongest numerically in Southwest Virginia, has for years built racial inclusivity into its beliefs and practices. It has actively sought black members in the Southeast but has too few well-trained ministers to serve newcomers.
Morton said becoming a Methodist gave him the chance to obtain more education and to be available to meet the need. He also enjoys greatly, he said, the spirit of ecumenism that United Methodism encourages as well as being able to share some education events with the white Methodist parishes nearby.
New Mount Olive shares its pastor with the Mount Airy Church at Riner. Each Sunday, like many pastors of small churches on a "circuit," Morton hurries away from Radford by 11:20 a.m. in order to be at his other church in half an hour.
Last Sunday Morton preached for 20 minutes on Psalm 1, which assures the godly of God's grace but advises that the ungodly will be blown away like the chaff of wheat. Being a faithful Christian, said the pastor, is like participating in a dance.
Walking in the happy community of Christians is like sharing in a joyful dance, the pastor asserted, pointing out that he's not against dancing, even in the church, if it's seen as done in God's spirit. After all, people hug out of love and God knows when the intention is good and when it isn't, Morton said.
Some, however, are unable to join with the community all the time. Then, like the pastor who said he couldn't dance gracefully, it may be better for them to let others waltz , jitterbug or go down the line while they engage in some other holy activity. It's all in the way a follower perceives the Spirit whether an activity is holy or secular, Morton said, his voice rising in intensity.
It is important for the Christian to discern whom to dance with. A sensible Christian will not "run with dogs or sin with cats," as the preacher put it. That's letting oneself be led into temptation.
Church is a place to express joy in belonging to the Lord, not a place for judging, gossiping and prideful attitudes of being good, Morton continued, emphasizing that those who learn to meditate on God's word will find it easier to resist such temptations.
The congregation sang the opening hymn with the choir, an Isaac Watts selection, "Alas! And Did My Saviour Bleed," from the United Methodist Hymnal. Dennis Sanders accompanied on the piano. Later, tenor soloist Odell Palmer presented as an offertory "You'll Never Walk Alone" from a Broadway musical. When the financial offering was taken up by four young girls - two of whom robed in white also served as acolytes - all joined in a contemporary harmony version of "All Things Come of Thee."
It's easy to get into New Mount Olive Church despite the long flight of steps at the front of the building which sits on the Russell Avenue hill. That's because extensive remodeling of the old building has produced a large ramp which everyone uses to enter from parking lot to the side of the nave. Morton said restrooms also can accommodate those in wheelchairs.
A majority of those present at New Mount Olive last Sunday appeared to be longtime members with several accompanied by grandchildren. The church's pictorial directory reveals diverse family groupings with many single people.
Sojourner appears monthly in The New River Current. Its purpose is not to promote a particular point of view but to inform readers of a variety of worship styles.
by CNB