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Jake McGregor, right, gives some words of wisdom to some interested people at Sunday's gathering of Sojourn, a group for people looking for a more laid-back approach to Christianity. (Ross Farrow/News-Sentinel)
Church unscripted
Lodi group Sojourn offers unique, laid-back way for Christians to hear — and talk — about God
Jake McGregor wears a white golf shirt, shorts and sandals as he sits on a low stool and has what amounts to more of a conversation rather than a sermon about God and Jesus Christ.
Some 30 people, mostly dressed in T-shirts and jeans, sit either in comfy sofas and bar stools while listening to McGregor's laid-back talk in the One Eighty Teen Center building in Lodi. Some are following along in their Bibles; others are just listening intently to McGregor.
"I think there are some things going on out there that don't make any sense," McGregor says. "There's a plan; there's a purpose."
Everyone is in total silence as McGregor spoke about the Lord.
The group is called Sojourn. It isn't exactly a church. It's more of a gathering among people in their teens, 20s and even 30s who may not be comfortable sitting in a pew and listening to a pastor talking in King James-style English.
"I'm here because I want a place I can say I am not OK and you're not OK, but it's OK and we're going to figure it out with God," said Ashley Auerbach, who attends Sojourn meetings each Sunday evening.
"I don't need to put on any facade that I live a perfect life," Auerbach said.
In fact, people attending Sojourn sometimes do the talking instead of McGregor. They'll discuss whatever's on their mind.
"Half the time, we don't know the structure," McGregor said. "Everything's a little unscripted."
Sojourn at a glance
Sojourn typically gathers at 6:30 p.m. each Sunday at the One Eighty Teen Center, 17 W. Lockeford St., Lodi.Leaders are Jake and Alison McGregor, Bryan and Debi Hyzdu, Tommy and Kimberli Hyzdu, Mark and Michelle Lewis, Adam and Ashley Auerbach, Erin Westgage, and John Shinn.
For more information, call 339-2308.
You may also visit www.myspace.com/sojournlodi, which has a mission statement, a way to communicate with other people, a schedule of events, funny pictures and blog entries.
— News-Sentinel staff
Erin Westgate, who returned to Lodi about two years ago, said she once attended church with her parents, but she much prefers Sojourn.
"I had trouble connecting closely enough to open up with them," Westgate said of her parents' church. "It's nice to be able to be vulnerable with people."
Westgate added that many young people don't understand the traditional church custom of standing up at various times, and some feel that people sitting near them in the pews at traditional churches are judging them during the service.
McGregor does most of the talking each week, but sometimes he'll yield to guest speakers. Two recent guests were Pastor Rod Suess of Vinewood Community Church and Associate Pastor Glen Barnes from First Baptist Church. Another week, Brian and Debi Hyzdu discussed what makes their marriage work.
Ministries like Sojourn are a becoming a movement throughout the country, McGregor said. Sojourn leaders visited a similar ministry at Vintage Faith church in Santa Cruz last year to see how it operates and took ideas there to form Sojourn.
"There's a movement in a new expression of the classic Christian faith," McGregor said. "This generation has been taught to question authority. It's a culture of people who don't put up with 'This is the way it is because we've always done it this way.'"
McGregor mentioned a church in Portland, Ore., that has a Sojourn-like format and focuses on social justice.
And then there's Quake Youth Ministries in Joplin, Mo., where Youth Pastor Justin "Batman" attracts people who some might call "freaks" and "Goths." Meetings include smoke, lights, music and videos, according to The Chart Online from Missouri Southern State University.
Suess, from Vinewood, says that different approaches must be used for people to see Christ.
"You have to figure out other ways to meet their spiritual needs," Suess said. "You need to have different venues."
Suess, who has worked closely with McGregor and others at Sojourn during the past year, said it's a little different speaking with a smaller group, and a one-generation group at that.
Suess said he doesn't speak too differently with younger people except that he might reference a movie that older people might not have seen.
This "church" has two pool tables, two Foosball tables, a ping pong table and band instruments that belong to the One Eighty Teen Center. McGregor, who also heads the Teen Center, played Foosball with an attendee after one of the gatherings broke up.
"It's about relationships," said Debi Hyzdu, who helped organize Sojourn about a year ago. "People come here, and other people care about them. That's what Jesus is. He just loves people."
Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.
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Metric Time System wrote on Jul 30, 2008 8:02 AM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Jul 29, 2008 10:45 PM:
You want to stand in judgement of gay Americans, but you want not to be identified as such. You want to be viewed as a benevolent champion of imaginary gay friends who seem to populate your off-the-blogs life, yet you want to be crystal clear in relaying your distaste for all things gay.
You have conflicts, Jerry. You can't even keep your lies straight. "
Billy Rubin wrote on Jul 29, 2008 10:40 PM:
"You", huh? "You" who? I thought you weren't speaking to me?
As to where I "come up with" this "nonsense", as you call it, is from you. The most infuriating stuff I post is taken directly from your own insipid blogs. "
Billy Rubin wrote on Jul 29, 2008 10:36 PM:
You should contact the Sentinel, Girard, because someone is using your name again.
They, posting as you on another thread, stated that homosexuality is a sin and wrong and the poster hated homosexuality.
I'm sure you'll want to get that cleared up with the moderator right away. You'll not want people getting the idea you're an up-tight judgemental Christian who would say such things while hiding in plain sight behind the tissue pages of his bible. That would just be wrong, huh? "
girard74 wrote on Jul 29, 2008 8:40 PM:
Where you come up with this nonsense is absolutely amazing. But fear does have strange affects on people. "
Billy Rubin wrote on Jul 29, 2008 7:17 PM:
Yeah. What's up with all the hated, Girard? Why the homophobia? Why the condemnations, the accusations of immorality, the finger-pointing of sinner! and rejection of gays?
You self-righteous religious zealots are an odd lot. "
girard74 wrote on Jul 29, 2008 3:26 PM:
Those who do not choose to believe in Christianity are certainly free to believe and behave as they choose as long as their actions do not violate the law (man's law). While Christians have a firm foundation as to what happens to those who reject Christianity, they themselves have no power - nor do they want the power - to judge or condemn anyone in this regard.
Yet it comes down to fear that causes people to believe that Christians are condemning them. I have always believed that those who choose not to believe in anything have absolutely nothing to fear. So - why all the fear? "
Billy Rubin wrote on Jul 29, 2008 3:07 PM:
girard74 wrote on Jul 29, 2008 2:43 PM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Jul 29, 2008 1:08 PM:
What this country needs is to devolve into a full-on hard core Christian Theocracy, right, Met?
Yes, this culture must be crushed, destroyed, obliterated and vaporized in the name of the one right true holy almighty God in-heaven-oh-praise-Baby-Jesus.
It will be just like the Taliban only good because it's all about Jesus.
Are you feeling it, Metric?
How's this for a cool motto, "USA: All Jesus all the time." Even the TV stations will have to turn biblical. Think about it; 24 hour Jesus - nothing but the bible.
I know, huh? I knew you'd like it. What we need is Jesus for President (GOP of course). Talk about faith-based initiatives!! Whoo-EEE! "
Metric Time System wrote on Jul 28, 2008 9:19 AM:
Jesus met the people where they were but confronted, head on, the culture of the day.
I pray this setting teaches the Word of God and His attributes in their totality. Anything less amounts to creating a new religion, apart from God. "
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