Finding Faith

Faith Walk nn BY KATHY CASTEEL

New city New home New job New school New church

If your relocation checklist includes a new home for worship, Columbia offers several avenues for your faith journey.

With more than 150 congregations in the area, opportunities abound to meet your spiritual needs. From intimate gatherings of a few believers to dynamic assemblies of a few thousand, ministries here run the gamut of doctrine, mission and worship styles.

Take your time to select the best fit for you and your family, advises the Rev. Keith Simon, co-lead pastor at The Crossing, one of Columbia’s largest churches. “Finding a new church in a new city can be difficult,” Simon says. “It usually takes about six weeks before you can start to get a sense of whether a church is a good fit for you. Of course, a church’s beliefs are foundational. But it’s also important to assess whether a particular church will provide opportunities for you to learn and grow in your faith, whether the church community is friendly and whether you can support the church’s mission in the community.”

A good fit can take many forms. Columbia’s spiritual landscape includes small neighborhood enclaves, suburban settings, sprawling urban centers and even a few megachurches. Services can be on-site or online. Although Christianity dominates, there are also worship options for various Eastern and Western faiths.

High-energy, contemporary services with theater-like seating and crystalclear acoustics attract thousands to The Crossing and Woodcrest Chapel, churches lauded by local musicians as the best gigs in town.

In small family settings such as Rock Bridge Christian Church or Little Bonne Femme Baptist Church, you’ll quickly get to know everyone’s name. Worship in the country, perhaps at Olivet Christian Church, on the east side of town since 1874, or Midway Locust Grove United Methodist Church, established in 1817 and the oldest church west of the Mississippi.

Savor the history at Second Missionary Baptist Church, St. Paul AME and Log Providence Missionary Baptist, all built by former slaves freed to form their own congregations in the 1860s.

Downtown, you’ll find the imposing edifice of Missouri United Methodist Church occupying a full block of Ninth Street; inside, the magnificent strains of the Skinner organ add joy to the services. First Baptist Church, at Broadway and Waugh, is the city’s oldest church, formed in 1823 when Columbia was just 2 years old. Another “first church” — First Christian — has welcomed Disciples of Christ to the corner of 10th and Walnut since 1832.

Catholics have worship options downtown, on campus or on the city’s west side. “Columbia’s Catholic ministries offer opportunities for sacramental worship, community, faith formation and service,” says the Rev. Chris Cordes, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes. “There are three Catholic parishes, a Catholic K-8 school and Catholic high school. You are welcomed and encouraged to attend and become involved in any of our parishes and activities!”

Reflecting Columbia’s diverse population, worship can have an international flavor: Agape Fellowship Church, catering to refugees from Rwanda, Burundi and eastern Congo; Columbia Chinese Christian Church; Columbia Korean Baptist Church; Korean First Presbyterian Church. Iglesia Alfa y Omega Baptist Church and Sacred Heart Catholic Church both offer Hispanic ministries. At St. Luke’s the Evangelist Greek Orthodox Church, services are in English and Greek; worshippers often recite the Lord’s Prayer in their own native language.

Congregation Beth Shalom serves the mid-Missouri Jewish community as the only synagogue in the region. The Islamic Center of Central Missouri ministers to local Muslims, international students and immigrants. Shanthi Mandir Hindu Temple is open to all sects of Hinduism and all deities. Show Me Dharma advances Theravada Buddhist ideals through teachings and practices.

Columbia’s college campuses offer additional ministries in The Rock campus church, St. Thomas More Newman Center, Baptist Student Union, Hillel and Chabad House, as well as other student outreach services.

‘O come, let us worship…’

Columbia is home to more than 30 religious denominations, as well as numerous independent and interdenominational churches.

AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Apostolic Assembly of God Baha’i Baptist Buddhist Catholic Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Christian Science Church of Christ Church of God Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints CME (Christian Methodist Episcopal) Community of Christ Episcopal Evangelical Free Church Greek Orthodox Hindu Jehovah’s Witness Jewish Lutheran Methodist Muslim Nazarene Pentecostal Presbyterian Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) Salvation Army Seventh-day Adventist Unitarian Universalist Unity

The Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau maintains a directory of some Columbia places of worship on its website. View the list, with contact information and website links, at VisitColumbiaMo.com/section/ places-of-worship. l