Do you go to church on vacation?
Why not?
It can be a really fun experience to worship with other believers in a different tradition.
I make an effort to attend church on my vacation all the time.
It’s been . . . real.
Church on vacation overseas
I’ve attended church services in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, England, Romania, New Zealand, Mexico, Costa Rica and Slovenia.
Language is not an issue.
In several countries I attended a Roman Catholic mass because I figured I might be able to follow the service.
Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.
In Rome one year I stumbled on a mass in a corner of St. Peter’s. I joined the crowd and discovered my limited Italian could follow it.
Pure joy!
In Slovenia, my relative translated.
We didn’t have any trouble in England, but the hymns in New Zealand made us laugh!
They’re just like us!
What a surprise! Believers all over the world love the same God.
My godson found us a non-denominational church in Transylvania.
He explained we were Americans when we arrived, which surprised the greeter.
Ushered into a low ceiling room with about 200 other people, we found seats in the back.
St. Peter’s Basilica
The service was much like a typical Calvary Chapel service in the US and the music–drums, piano, girl singers–sounded familiar.
We could sing along–in English–to several songs.
Within minutes, the greeter found a translator who sat behind us.
I opened my phone to the Bible and read the day’s Scriptures in English.
It made us laugh when the earnest young preacher mentioned Tim Keller and Max Lucado.
Those guys get around!
The sermon was great.
How to find a church on vacation
How did I find the churches I attended?
I did a little research beforehand.
We knew we wanted to worship at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, so we checked their website.
Photo by Helloworld (Wikipedia Commons)
Evensong at Westminster Abbey was glorious–information was available on the website.
Easy.
If friends or relatives live in the area I attend with them.
In Puerto Vallarta, a sign on the Catholic Church across the street from our hotel gave directions in English to an English/ Protestant service down the street.
I enjoyed a sweet worship time geared for ex-pats and tourists.
The sermon was great.
One Saturday I saw a man in the grocery store in Anchorage, Alaska wearing a Christian t-shirt. I asked where he went to church.
Surprised, he stared at me before stammering an answer.
I explained we were looking for a place to worship.
He got very excited–Franklin Graham was preaching that day.
We enjoyed the service.
Another time, I went to my college church while visiting in Los Angeles.
Philip Yancey was the guest speaker.
The sermons were all great!
Another time at Gettysburg, PA, I saw a sign on the hotel bulletin board for a Sunday school class based on Ephesians that took place in the national park.
Led by a licensed battlefield guide, we hiked along the route of the battle for Little Roundtop.
It was terrific, looking over the battlefield and thinking how “putting on the armor of God,” could be explained at that tragic spot.
The boys loved it.
Or attend church in your own denomination–but be prepared for local customs
We had a terrific time attending an English-speaking service at Martin Luther’s home church in Wittenberg, Germany.
There’s nothing like singing “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” in the church where it all began!
(Though I did wonder if the stones were tired of that song after 500 years.)
We’ve attended churches in Hawai’i several times that featured hula dancers–which was terrific.
Risks
Of course you may stumble into a church that offends your faith.
That’s happened to me twice in the United States.
You can always leave.
You’ll never see these people again, so who cares if you get up and walk out?
Be prepared, however, to explain the problem to them if you are with children.
(That can be a learning experience, too.)
Advantages of attending church on vacation?
They’re myriad.
If you have children–keep them with you the whole time–they learn brothers and sisters are everywhere in the world.
Worshipping in a different tradition enables you to see God from a slightly different angle.
Sometimes you get invited to someone’s home afterwards.
You can bless the congregation–one year my seven-member family filled an entire row and sang in harmony to the delight of the people in front of us.
Most importantly, it keeps us in the habit of worshipping regularly.
Afterall, Hebrews 10:25 admonishes us
“Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another,”
Don’t you love it when visitors come to your church?
Why not visit their church on your vacation?
Tweetables
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Adventures in visiting churches in foreign lands. Click to Tweet
Yes, we nearly always attend church on vacation. When I was a child, my family would check the yellow pages; today we usually check the internet before we leave home.
We are now members of a church my husband visited once with his family when he was 12! They weren’t on vacation, but living in the community just one summer while my father-in-law was working on one of his doctorates. I guess they must have gone to a bunch of different churches that particular summer, but this is the only one my husband remembered. He loves telling people he had last been to this church 45 years ago.
Wonderful story!