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San Antonio Express-News October 11, 1997 Church Meeting - GenX style Young adults find Monday service suits lifestyle needs By Susie P. Gonzalez; Express-News Staff Writer In the eyes of their parents, college professors and employers, they are rebellious slackers without vision. But every Monday night since January, hundreds of people between the ages of 18 and 35 have shattered that stereotype by filling the sanctuary of Castle Hills First Baptist Church to experience something called San Antonio Metro. On a recent Monday, a marquee in front of the Northwest Side church announced: Singles - College, 7:30 p.m., and indeed, the 615 gathered inside could have been plucked from any classroom at UTSA. Some wore shorts, many toted backpacks and a dozen or so males sported the de facto uniform of Generation X: Nike gimme caps. Wait a minute. Men wearing hats in church? Ah, but this is no ordinary service. It's not on a Sunday morning, it opens with rock music and there's a pizza party afterward. And it's not billed as church. S.A. Metro is called "a young singles get-together sort of thing." The "metro" sort of thing began more than a decade ago in Atlanta as a citywide Bible study for young people, and the concept has been adapted to other urban areas trying to connect spiritually with the next generation. The music styles and speakers differ in each area, but the point is the same: uncompromising Christianity. "There's kind of a fresh wind sweeping across the country where young adults are responding to Bible teaching," said the Rev. Steve Seelig, minister of singles at the First Baptist Church of Houston, home to Houston Metro. It attracts a diverse group of more than 2,000 singles. "This is a group that is at a point where they are trying to sort out life's questions and find answers," Seelig said. "We address a lot of those questions." One week's theme in a recent series on getting along in the workplace was "how to work with jerks." Contemporary music and consistency in the program have spelled success for Orlando Metro, housed at First Baptist Church in that Florida city. "The metro theme is for churches throughout the U.S. who want to have a neutral event that targets people in their 20s and 30s who may not feel comfortable going to a typical church," said coordinator Tim DeTellis. Although many of the metros take place in a Baptist church, the leadership team of the San Antonio group includes Methodists and Episcopalians, as well as members of a Church of Christ and the nondenominational Cornerstone Church. The "senior pastor" is a 28-year- old student at the San Antonio branch of Southwestern Seminary. Todd Phillips quit his job at Dell Computer Co. in Austin soon after starting a Bible study for six people in his home, a first step toward what evolved into Austin Metro. About 1,000 young people flock to Austin's Hyde Park Baptist Church on Tuesday nights, in large part because of Phillips' down-to- earth oratory. "Why do I preach and teach and share the gospel?" said Phillips, who leads Metro sessions in San Antonio and Austin as part of a full-time ministry. "I take exception to what society calls us and believe God's going to do something much greater." Phillips believes this nation is on the verge of a national spiritual revival that will be led by young people. To prepare them, he welcomes them in "work clothes or workout clothes" and says they can leave their Bibles at home because the volunteer Metro staff will provide them with fliers containing the Scripture verses he will cite. To hook them, his lecture series is peppered with intriguing titles. A recent one was "How to be a Better Lover." And lest anyone think this is watered-down Christianity, perish the thought. "He's said a lot of things I've heard all my life," said Chris Morris, a member of Holy Dayspring Christian Fellowship who has been attending S.A. Metro for about a month. "But he's put it in ways I understand." Phillips teaches singles what the Bible says about sex, dating and finding a marriage partner, tips that have helped Joel Villarreal, a Cornerstone member who's been going to S.A. Metro meetings for six months. "There are so many different messages in the world," Villarreal said. "You've got to have answers with a biblical perspective." The messages sent by Phillips are easier to grasp, Villarreal said, in a church filled with other single people in the same age bracket. "It's church, but it's not your typical church setting," he said. Phillips' goal is to provide a comfortable environment for young people to hear biblical truths while inspiring them to find a more traditional church where they can worship. "We stand in the gap between the churched and the unchurched," Phillips said. He said he wants to make it clear that the Bible has applications to daily life. "It not only applies. It is an absolute necessity," Phillips said. The Rev. Jim Landers, who ministers to single adults at Castle Hills First Baptist Church, saw the necessity to reach a broader base of young people. "We prayed last August (1996) to see what God would do, and God led us to Todd," Landers said. The first night of S.A. Metro, 300 people showed up. By comparison, Austin's opening night of Metro drew 50. "There is a great movement of God in this city," Phillips said. "It's unique to this city." Part of the reason attendance has skyrocketed is that San Antonio doesn't have the highly marketed bar scene that Austin has in Sixth Street or Houston has in the Westheimer area, he said. S.A. Metro staff member Kendra Graf, a Methodist, said the gathering is not a "meat market." "Single people have been hungry for something like this," she said. "This is not a place to meet people. They may come for that, but they're going to hear the truth." Another staff member, Elena Maya, said she thought her busy schedule would keep her from being active in the ministry. "I came thinking I'll come once, but I got hooked" on the acceptance she said she feels from people there. "It's a great way to start your week," said staffer Stacie Miller. PHOTOS: ROBERT McLEROY / Staff Todd
Phillips speaks at San Antonio Metro, a nondenominational ministry for
Gen X singles held on Monday nights at Castle Hills First
Baptist Church. More than 600 singles pack the sanctuary of
Castle Hills First Baptist Church for a meeting of San Antonio
Metro. Large singles gatherings at churches are a phenomenon in a
growing list of cities. Marisela Delgado listens to Todd Phillips
share Biblical principles for dating and finding a marriage partner at
a San Antonio Metro meeting. |
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