While journeying through twelve countries, I have had the opportunity to visit a church in almost every country! It has been amazing to see the different ways that everyone worships God! Truly, there is no “better” way that one culture worships versus another culture. The most pure worship is one that is from the heart. When we get to heaven, we will all be worshipping together, in unity. There won’t be one country or denomination leading because we will all be one, His Bride. I have been really taken by each culture. Each culture so unique and beautiful and shows through in the way that they worship God. I’ve highlighted a few moments from 9 (of the 12) countries that we have been in.
My heart behind sharing all of this isn’t to highlight one church, culture or worship over the other. I simply want to bring you in on this journey – how beautiful it is to see each individual worship in the way that they do! And, to share what I have experienced and moments that have impacted me.
As you’re reading this, imagine all these people gathered together and worshipping together in their own way!
Côte d’Ivoire – 1st Country
My team was asked on the spot more than once to sing a song in front of the church! We quickly learned to have a song always ready! We’d sing and the congregation would begin to clap and dance along to the song and before we knew it, it was one big happy worship! Even though our song was in English…
During congregation worship, we all sang, clapped and danced together! It was pure joy!
There would be a choir that would sing during service!
At the end of service, if there were any guests, the guests lined up and each congregation member came by and greeted/welcomed them!
People wore bright, beautiful and colorful cultural attire! My team even got dresses made and I love them!
It was typically one sermon per service, led by the pastor or an elder of the church
Ghana – 2nd Country
Congregation wore beautiful cultural attire here as well! We got more cultural attire sewn here!
While in Ghana, we partnered with a church so all the services we went to were at their church! It was a Holy Spirit fire driven church!
Worship was amazing! Spirit led and intertwined with prayer, tongues prayer and song! It was beautiful and joyful! You couldn’t help but dance for joy and cry tears of joy at the same time! Any of us on my squad were invited in leading worship with them and enjoyed it very much! A great community.
Their congregation brought church beyond the walls of the building. We joined them for evangelism out into the streets during the week.
Discipleship classes were held during week
There was one sermon after worship. Sometimes brought by a Pastor or someone that they are stewarding into preaching/pastoralship.
At the end of each sermon, the floor was open to questions in regards to the sermon. Questions were highly encouraged.
Cambodia – 3rd Country
In Cambodia, my team lived in a floating village where there weren’t any churches. We had worship on our own as a team with our hosts. Here is where we got to spend our Easter! We had an early morning worship. The sunrises here were so beautiful and the sun looked so big! We had worship together and here I shared my first “Word”! It was brief and just to my team and hosts but I was very nervous! My respect for pastors and preachers grew tremendously! We also got to do communion together and it was really sweet. In the floating village, it is hard to come by anything you need to buy. We were so excited for this communion that our host went far up and down the river both ways a couple of times, in a canoe, in search of what we would need for communion! Resurrection morning service was a very sweet time!
Thailand – 4th Country
In Thailand, we lived on a farm where our host, Pat, took in orphans and ex-cons and discipled them 24/7. For church service, we gathered together on a rooftop of their home and sat in one big circle. It was like a home-church service. Our whole squad spent this month together so, it was our squad, Pats family, the ex-cons living on the farm and anyone else from the neighborhood that wanted to come.
We took turns leading worship and it was very freestyle. After worship, Pat would ask one of us to share our testimony. For sermons, Pat would entrust one of us on the squad or one of the men he is discipling, making the decision with prayer and getting direction from God on whom to entrust with the sermon.
At the end, we would have prayer requests and pray together before ending the service.
Myanmar – 5th Country
One of the first things I noticed were crops on the stage/altar. I later learned that members could bring their crops for their offering if they weren’t able to bring money as their offering. This wasn’t a “forced” offering, it was another way to bring your offering because a lot of people here lived and survived off of the land. We lived in a mountain village where the lifestyle is SO different from life in the U.S. These crops were later sold in the street markets by the church. It was a humbling experience indeed.
There was no “defined” way of worship here. Some sat, some stood, some kneeled, raised their hands, prayed…
A lot of the songs were gospel hymns. The pew I was sitting in one Sunday happened to be a mixture of cultures. There was my host from India on my left, then myself – a Russian, to my right a Caribbean, a Burmese and a couple of my teammates, Americans. We sang a couple hymns all in our own language!
Cultural clothing was also common here! It was bright and colorful just like the town was; splattered with bright, different colored homes up the mountain side. Women wore skirts or dresses only.
A choir sat to the right side and sang throughout the service as a number here and there.
A pulpit was in the middle with the church deacons and elders sitting behind the pulpit. The deacons and elders of the church consisted of both men and women.
Nepal – 6th Country
In Nepal, my team go to be in three different regions. We got to go to church when we were in the city of Kathmandu. We walked about a mile to church.
Once we got to the doorsteps, everyone was to take off their shoes and leave them outside. The moment we got to the doorsteps, I could feel a flutter in my heart and I soon understood why because once we got inside, everyone was worshipping with all their might, joy and tears everywhere and I could hear people speaking in tongues all around me! Worship was intertwined with song and prayer.
During service, everyone sits on the floor in rows and when we prayed, everyone prayed out loud and together. All at once!
India – 7th Country
While in India, my team partnered with a church planting organization so we visited a few different churches. Sometimes it was a new church, a home gathering, a gathering in the streets and so forth. It was different depending on where we were.
Women wore beautiful sarees and had their heads covered during prayer.
Everyone sat on the floor in rows during service and shoes were taken off at the door.
During prayer, everyone kneeled.
Worship was always accompanied by clapping and hand drums. Be it in a church, on the streets or in somebody’s home.
Being that we were with a church planting organization, my teammates and I were the ones to bring the sermon. For every gathering, two of us were asked to share a testimony and another, to share a sermon!
For gatherings in the homes, the church would bring speakers and a keyboard and set everything up inside! Let’s just say that we were heard far!
Belize – 8th Country
The congregation here was beautiful! Many different cultures are in Belize and they all come together! Different ways of worship, worshipping together! It is like a slice of heaven here! The Pastor here is from Zimbabwe and his wife is a Belizean. A church I would be happy to visit again if I ever go back to visit Belize.
Worship here was beautiful and spirit led! Prayer and Words from God would intertwine with song! One Sunday it lasted for longer than “usual” and nobody wanted to stop! It was such a sweet aroma and you could just feel the presence of Glory. I appreciated how even though it went past the “usual” time frame or the 3-4 song routine average, it wasn’t cut off at that. It went on for as long as Holy Spirit stirred it to be!
Sermons were led by various people. One Sunday the Pastor would preach and another Sunday, he entrusted one of his congregation to lead the sermon; man or woman.
This church spends a good amount of time building up their leadership and raising up new leadership within the church. While we were there, they had a leadership development and the Pastor and his wife entrusted a couple teammates and myself to spearhead the courses! It was such an honor and a very humbling experience!
Nicaragua – 11th Country
While in Nicaragua, my whole squad lived on a farm. Our hosts were a part of different organizations and evangelized in the streets.
Sundays looked different here. Church is outside of the walls. In the region that we were in, there is a lot of brokenness. The farm was a safe oasis for many in the region! Hundreds come and go on Sundays. Sundays, anyone that wanted to could come onto their farm. There, they would have sport activities but, before each game, a brief sermon would be shared with teams. People come and go all day long and in one day, many sermons are shared from the field. Throughout the week, there are bible studies and discipleship for those that work on the farm. They have built a great community where anyone can come, feel safe, be accepted, be heard, be prayed for and to just be.
It was a beautiful depiction of taking church outside of the walls and meeting people where they are at.
cant wait for worship in heaven!
love,
Viktoriya
