Dancing in the aisles: being Methodist in Benin

Although my post is in the region of Benin generally considered to have a lot of believers in 'animist' religions (aka voudun, which is not nearly as scary as you think), my village seems to be mostly Christian, with a few Muslims and animists sprinkled in. There is one mosque, a big Catholic church, and two Protestant churches: an Assembly of God Church and - believe it or not - a Methodist church. This seemed rather too unlikely to be coincidence, so I have faithfully attended the service there each Sunday (3 for 3 so far!).

There are two services each Sunday - one in French and the other in local language. The first Sunday I went the two were combined, whcih meant it was almost all is local language and I understood almost nothing. It was sort of cool though, because they have both hymnals and Bibles in Yoruba, which was sort of surprising to me, although it makes perfect sense considering the number of people around here who don't speak French well (or at all). Also my dad tells me that translating Bibles into local lanugages is a pretty standard missionary task.

Anyway, the next Sunday I attended the French service with mostly young people (who are more likely to speak French well). I was relieved to be able to understand a great deal more of the service. Basically, it's a lot like a Methodist service in the States, with the main differences being cultural, I think, not doctrinal. Although I havent yet gotten my hands on a French hymnal, I actually recognized some of the hymns. I also recognized the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer, though I didn't hear the Doxology. There were also some prayers that reminded me of the Episcopal church, though I won't elaborate lest any four year veterans of the Episcopal choir at All Saints feel the need to correct me. There also seems to be a familiar spirit of inter-denominational Protestant rivalry here. My predecessor attended the Assembly of God church and the Methodists are bound and determined not to let those crazies get me. (Let me now make perfectly clear that I mean no offense to anyone affiliated with the Assembly of God church; basically the only thing I know about them is that their missionaries must rival the Methodists in reach and effectiveness.)

As far as differences go, they seem mostly superficial to me. (You'll have to forgive the compare-contrast format; four years of college essays haven't quite worn off yet.) Of course, I really haven't been in a position to become aware of more fudnamental differences, but here are my observations thus far:

First off, women cover their heads during the service. Not sure if this is compulsory, but everyone does so I don't challenge it. This is actually quite common for women when dressing nicely, and wouldn't be a problem at all except I haven't gotten the hang of tying the head wrap in such a way that it does not cause discomfort that develops into pain after an hour and forty minutes. But I'm working on it.

There's also quite a bit more dancing than one would see at, say, Conyers First UMC, but aside from some energetic choreography by the youth choir, it's nothing too wild and crazy. All the hymns are accompanied by hand drums, which is standard for Beninese music, and I think would be a festive addition to US church services.

During prayer, everyone hunches forward over their knees, or kneels on the ground. This is a nice visual sign that everyone is praying, though given that one's eyes are supposed to be closed, that can hardly be the point. Other than that, there are little things that seem odd to me because I don't understand. For example, after the regular offering there is a cermonial offering in which everyone sort of dances/processes up to the front and puts very small change into a basket. There is no explanation given since it is a part of the weekly ritual. I'll ask someone eventually...

I have acquired a New Testament in French, and I am looking forward to getting a Bible in Yoruba (so I can be mystified by scripture in 3 languages). If I get any deeper insights into church here, I'll post an update...