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BCCN - DOXA
B.C. Christian News, November 1997
DOXA singing to the glory of God
By Anne Eapen
WHEN VIJAY Manuel and five members of South Abbotsford MB Church began summer vespers last year, little did they realize how the floodgates would be opened. It began as a bi-weekly time of worship for youth . . . primarily.
"We sensed a real need for it," explained Manuel, who has been a youth leader at the church for the past six years. Close to 80 people would gather to worship and praise God, led by Manuel's six member band, called DOXA (which means 'glory of God' in Greek).
Vijay Manuel |
Then, in January, they began to meet weekly ‹ for two hours every Sunday night. By word of mouth through other Fraser Valley churches, the numbers of worshippers and interested observers swelled to 800. Manuel described them as being 50 per cent high school age, with the rest a cross section of ages. The time of praise and worship was dubbed DOXA as well.
All too soon the church without walls ‹ which South Abby calls itself ‹ was bursting at the seams. People were sardined 16 to a pew, aisles were packed. The church was no longer able to sustain the overflow and last month DOXA began meeting at Central Heights, a church that can accommodate 1,500.
A high school teacher himself, Manuel was hesitant about drawing any publicity for himself or the band and attributed DOXA's success to the move of the Holy Spirit on people's lives.
"It has nothing to do with numbers of people coming together," he cautioned, "it has to do with transformation ‹ many people are recommitting their lives to Jesus Christ."
A typical DOXA evening sees the band leading the "congregation" with songs by Brian Doerksen and other Vineyard artists. Manuel interjects with short exhortations on subjects such as the meaning of true worship, backing it up with many biblical verses and prayer. A truly amazing sight is that of teens who a moment before were cheering and singing lustily, sitting attentively absorbing the sermonette. Once a month, Manuel offers an altar call type of message "and many non-Christians make their commitment to follow Jesus Christ." Follow up is done by teams of church members.
The event sometimes takes on a concert-like atmosphere, with mosh pits and gyrating bodies, but the majority are swept up in the worship. Nineteen year old Robyne Hiebert, who is almost completely blind, is a regular with her golden retriever, Candy.
"I love it because it is an expression of my love of God." She admits that many of the youth see this also as a time of socializing, "but they do need the fellowship and I'd rather see them come here to church and socialize."
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