H o m e  |  R e s u m e  |  B i o   |  C l i p s  |  B o o k s  |  C o n t a c t     Is religion for sale in the United States? 04/04/1998 Deutsche Presse-Agentur Copyright (c) 1998, dpa By Rhea Wessel New York (dpa) - At 10:30 a.m. sharp on Sunday, two busloads of Swiss, German, Dutch and Japanese tourists filed into the pews at the Union Baptist Church in Harlem. Chewing gum and staring curiously, the tourists, most of whom were white, peered down from their perches in the upper gallery of the church to watch the "show''. The black worshippers were just getting warmed up. "Amen brother! Hallelujah!'' responded the congregation at the pastor's every pause. The music started and the worshippers began to sway, clap and sing. Tourists fidgeted, not knowing whether to join in or just watch what they had paid 35 dollars a person to see. It was gettin'-down gospel time. The travelers were on a tour billed as an "unforgettable morning in the black capital of the world'', including an ``authentic'' church service. The tour, offered by Harlem Spirituals, Inc., is one of many that have created controversy because of their efforts to capitalize on worship services. A flurry of media coverage, including a recent New York Times article that compared the tours with a three-ring circus, has raised the question of whether religion is for sale. Because of the widespread publicity, the church services also attract many tourists who are not on formal tours of Harlem, a 1,400-hectare area north of Central Park in Manhattan. Harlem Spirituals took about 40,000 people on "Gospel Tours'' in 1996. The churches, along with concierges at hotels, tour and bus companies, get a cut of the travelers' dollars. At least five other companies offer gospel tours in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. About 10 per cent of the tour cost, 3.50 dollars per person, is passed on to the churches from the tour company. A little math reveals: at 40,000 tourists per year paying 35 dollars per person, about 140,000 dollars is being pumped into Harlem churches annually from just this one company. The tourists' presence at services across Harlem changes the dynamic of the worship. Some churchgoers don't mind; others are offended by travelers' casual dress, feel as if their spirituality is on display and are disturbed when tourists abruptly leave the service in the middle of a song or prayer. At Union Baptist Church, most members say they are comfortable with the presence of tour groups. "Everyone is welcome here,'' one churchgoer said. The Rev. Dino Woodard is a dissenter. One of several ministers at Abyssinian Baptist Church, he has a philosophical problem with gospel tourism. Abyssinian does not allow tour groups, but because it is one of the biggest and the best-known of Harlem churches, it attracts many individual tourists. "This is not a showcase or a pit stop,'' Woodard says, "we want decency and order. But if churches want to put on a show, I can't stop them.'' Some churches even hold special services just for travelers, he adds. Tourists who come in, snap photos and then leave disrupt the service, he says. This happens so frequently that his church had to begin printing a notice in the Sunday bulletin asking that no pictures or videos be taken at the service, according to the pastor. Janet Walton, a scholar at the Union Theological Seminary in New York, says she has "mixed feelings'' about the issue. The churchgoers may feel they can trade off the distraction of tourists in order to have the necessary funds to carry out their mission, she says. Mahalia Stines, the spokeswoman for Harlem Spirituals, which has been putting on gospel tours for a decade, says the company has a roster of about 25 churches it works with and each church is called in advance to "reserve'' space for groups. Many travelers are hesitant to venture alone into Harlem, a neighborhood with a lasting reputation for street crime. But Stines claims fear is not a factor in her business, which is booming. Still, the company's promotional literature quotes an article from Time magazine which asks: "Is the white American who avoids... New York's notorious ghetto... missing something?... Fear is no excuse for missing out on Harlem's cultural and historical bounty.'' Whatever the motivation for outsiders to visit Harlem churches, it seems their presence will continue to bring smiles to the singing lips of supporters and skepticism to the eyes of dissenters. Copyright (c) 1998, dpa 04-04-98 2005EST H o m e  |  R e s u m e  |  B i o   |  C l i p s  |  B o o k s  |  C o n t a c t     © 2001-2008 Rhea Wessel Design by Clinks Web Service