The ministry we worked with in San José was different than most of the ministries I’ve seen so far. They are located in the heart of downtown, and they specifically work with people from the slums nearby. They have a pregnancy center where they meet with women, disciple them, and help them be the best mothers they can. They also teach women how to make soap or bracelets to sell and provide an income for their families, and they offer English classes to the community.
But the most unique part is the dance studio in the basement of the building. To clarify, the dance studio isn’t specifically a part of their ministry, but one of the believers is a dance teacher and uses the studio to witness to the people who come in to dance. It is an opportunity that most people wouldn’t have. Typically, if you don’t know how to dance, then the dance community won’t have much reason to listen to you. But if you are a fellow dancer, you automatically have an in with them.
A few of the dancers have become believers, and are a part of the growing church that meets in the The Hope Project building. Since we were serving there during the week, we were able to meet some of them. They all had powerful testimonies about how the Lord had changed their lives. They are a very tight knit family, and dance is always involved in their gatherings. Even in church.
Growing up, I remember dancing around the living room and kitchen with my family, then giggling and joking about how “Baptists don’t dance.” I understood the reasoning and heart behind the phrase, and I never really questioned it. That is, until I came on the Race.
Worship to me had mainly been described as singing, reading the Bible, and praying. It had never occurred to me that worship can be anything that expresses adoration or reverence to God. And that can include dancing.
I was able to see one of the dancers worshiping the Lord in this way during a worship night on Friday. At first I couldn’t see him because he was around a corner, but when I moved I was floored by what I saw. His face was filled with raw emotion, and the way he moved mirrored that. It was obvious that he was fully focused on worshiping his creator with his whole body. It was beautiful, and it brought tears to my eyes.
God used that to show me that there are so many ways that we can worship Him. It’s not exclusive to what we have grown up with, or even what we are comfortable with. Sometimes God asks us to move into the uncomfortable and do something different in our worship. Maybe it’s singing scripture instead of the song lyrics, sinking down to your knees in humble adoration, calling out attributes of God, or even dancing.
