Thanks for the interesting and informative thread. I've been reading it with great interest. The worship services you discuss sound like African-American services when I was growing up in Louisiana the 1950s and 60s, though I'm no expert. It was rare for a white kid like me to attend a black church unless there was a wedding or funeral. I remember one funeral in particular where the dearly departed was wheeled in with the choir processional.

Red and white carnations on Mother's Day were a custom at our white church also, so perhaps they are a regional custom rather than a racial custom.

I have family who recently spent time in the interior in Kenya and participated in Protestant services there.

Here is what they say about the church they attended: Church takes up most of the day. It starts with the clergy gathering for an hour or two of prayer and discussion. Folks start arriving from the surrounding villages, all dressed in their very best, though it the rural interior it's nothing fancy. The actual service starts with a processional of clergy and choir. The service features a lot of singing. There are multiple choirs – a youth choir, a women's choir, etc – all of whom perform. The music is sometimes in English and sometimes in Swahili or another indigenous language. There are no robes or music books which are prohibitively expensive. Blessings given by "laying on of hands" are part of most services. The services last for hours and dinner on the grounds is normal.

Here are some random things that made a big impression on the Yanks: In rural Africa time is not a priority - "8:30" church rarely starts before 10:00 and doesn't end at any particular time. The services themselves are intensely emotional beyond what any of my family had seen in white or black churches back home. Finally they were amazed that toddlers walk in from the villages unaccompanied by older children or adults, which would be absolutely unthinkable in the U.S.
- Phil