Classes Aim to Unite Religious Denominations

To save money, a church painter stirs water into his mixture. As the scaffold rises a little higher, he decides to add a little more water.

Finally, as the painter reaches the top, a great storm erupts and a disapproving voice is heard.

"Repaint," the voice says, "and thin no more."

So the joke goes. It's a favorite of the Rev. David Carlton, associate pastor at Palos Park Presbyterian Community Church, and his reason for liking it is clear.

Carlton presides over the area's Alpha course, a program designed to transcend denominational lines and welcome a post-Christian era of Christianity — one that embraces humor, fun and open-mindedness rather than rigidity.

"The nature of groups is that they're going to scatter and divide and there's going to be conflict," Carlton said. "Move into an era that is not Christian, and all of a sudden those differences don't seem so big anymore."

That may seem an odd thing for a believer to say, but it's catching on. With participants in more than 163 countries, Alpha boasts of being universal rather than ecumenical, and informative rather than authoritative.

This particular group — which attracts members from as far east as Beverly and as far west as Lemont — meets at the Palos Park Presbyterian Community Church every Wednesday night at 10-week intervals to enjoy dinner before watching a short video. Attendees then break into small groups to discuss questions as simple as "How do I pray?" and as profound as "What is the meaning of life?"

"We seek to promote social justice, not merely in the interest of making this society better for its own sake, but because we have a vision of humanity as it is intended to be," Carlton explained. "God is a God of freedom."

At Alpha's foundation is the Rev. Nicky Gumbel, of the Church of England. Each week, members watch a 45-minute video lecture that they then use to precipitate small group discussions. This week, classmates considered the evidence for Christ's physical existence.

Christ serves as Alpha's focal point. Carlton likes to refer to Alpha members as neither Protestant nor Catholic nor Orthodox, but as "Christ followers."

"The differences between Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Presbyterian really aren't as big as they once were, and we're discovering that we have a whole lot more in common than not," Carlton said. "I personally believe we, as a nation, are spiritually hungry, and the forms of worship we were subjected to as children don't seem satisfying."

Of the 40 people who signed up for this fall's course, most are members of the Presbyterian Church. Some are Catholic, while others describe themselves as reformed agnostics. Although there was no one from a non-Christian faith in attendance on Wednesday night, Jerry Niewiadomski, an Alpha course leader, said he looks forward to the day when there will be.

"We're hoping to attract people who either don't have a faith or don't understand completely the Christian faith," Niewiadomski  said. "We wouldn't try to shove anything in their face."

It's hard to imagine what commonality exists between this group and atheists, but Carlton assures that "an atheist would be welcomed and the questions would be fantastic."

As the night wound down, Orland Park resident Tony Parrish exited one of the small discussion groups wearing a big grin. When asked about his faith, his face relaxed and the conversation maneuvered between his Catholic upbringing and his current membership at this Palos Park church.

"I guess I'm Catholic and Presbyterian," he concluded. "I'm both."