Greek to me

The script on the man's golf shirt read, "It's Greek to me!" He was one of the vendors at the annual Greek Festival hosted by a historic Greek Orthodox Church in Memphis this past weekend. It was a beautiful Saturday for the event, and my wife and I enjoyed watching the youngsters demonstrate traditional Greek dances and listening to the fine musicians. Every year the event draws thousands from the community to sample the Greek cuisine -- especially the pastries! -- and enjoy the shows. Maybe it's a fundraiser -- probably is -- but it feels more like a gift.

Churches like this one contribute to the cultural mosaic that is a city. And folks from every ethnicity enjoy the taste of something different once in a while. Sometimes it is not recognized just how important churches are to the "personality" of a community. But in Memphis, where there appear to be about as high a ratio of churches to population as anywhere, it's hard to overestimate their impact. Predominantly African American congregations large and small, churches with antecedents in the Middle East, Latin America, Scandinavia and the British Isles, churches showing a variety of Asian cultures, churches with roots deep in the American pioneer experience, Catholic, Protestant and Non-Denominational churches: all declaring their faith in many liturgies, languages and leanings. There are some major doctrinal distinctions in these groups, even some ancient bad feelings among them. Yet what they say in unison is, Jesus Christ is Lord!