Being that I would be here for a whole year, one of my main concerns was finding a church where I’d feel completely at home and be free to worship God with all that I am. It seemed a bit of a challenge because due to security advice we had received I did not want to spread my tentacles too wide so I wanted a church near the accommodation I had been given. Then again considering my home church in Lagos and the Worship “culture” I had gotten used to, I craved a Worshipping church too. 

I had some friends who had arrived ahead of me and settled down. The first Sunday I got back I went with them to a church they had been invited to. It was near my place quite alright about a 7 minute walk. Upon arriving and just a quick look at a cross section of the church I quickly realized just how “young” the church was with my guess being that most of the church was probably between the early twenties to late thirties age range. Next, it was the Pastor’s “funky” hair cut that got my attention but what threw me off the most was that during praise and worship it was like I was watching a movie straight out of a Hillsongs Australia recording – the whole church was bobbing up and down with everyone JUMPING energetically to the music…..something I was not at all used to! While I love Hillsongs Music very much I have to admit that I am a very conservative sort in some regard and I kept wondering if I could ever survive in this environment with all the jumping and sweating during worship. 

Besides, my home church has a more African-based repertoire of songs most of which were written in-house. Though a lot of our songs have English lyrics but they are still quite African in rhythm and style so I had gotten used to much milder and less energetic expressions during worship (save of course Thanksgiving Sundays which were always high on energy and expression) and had become set in my ways!! 

I felt like fish out of water and struggled quite a bit with flowing during worship especially when fast tempo songs were being taken. But I noticed that in spite of how I felt there was still a very strong sense of God’s Presence not at all different from the sweet Presence we enjoyed in my home church. It was the same God and the same Spirit that was present here as in my church in Lagos. In spite of the discomfort I felt, we always touched God by the end of worship…it was awesome. I realized that it wasn’t as much how as it was the “spirit” and “truth” that God was seeking. I was certain they were not preaching heresy and everything was pretty much based on sound doctrine from God’s word. The discomfort I felt was based on my own personal preferences. With each service I attended I tried to open my mind, free myself from all those mindsets I had and just RELAX! It wasn’t easy adjusting but one thing is for sure - it DID happen as I made the effort.

As I relaxed and tried to enjoy worshipping God in a way I was not exactly used to I actually started enjoying all the energy!I would catch myself jumping now and then and joining them in turning a full circle as they often did at the start of a particular song. As I turned I’d smile at myself wondering if this was really the same me! This was certainly contagious praise, you couldn’t be in a place where people were worshipping God with reckless abandon and not catch the bug! 

Today, about 7 months since the first day I stepped into my church here, I look forward to our times of worship together. My eyes are open to a whole new world of worship to which I was a stranger and I’m learning to appreciate the diversities of God’s church. While I cannot beat some people in their attempts to match King David as he danced till his royal robes fell off his royal back (I don’t even try) I know I am learning to appreciate that it’s not as much how we worship but our hearts and motives that God is after. I no longer turn my nose up at other people when they worship in a way I am not used to. I just join in the joyful celebration and at other times when I’m not as “energetic” I revert to a more quiet approach and just enjoy being in God’s presence all the same as I imagine God smiling down at His children, enjoying them worship Him in diverse ways but still as he desire – in Spirit and in Truth!

Oluwatunmise is a member of Fountain of Praise. She is a practising dentist and worship dancer.