Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- It's one of the most difficult phrases to say, and one of the most difficult to hear -- I love you.
This phrase is perhaps the strongest thing any person can say to another. It resonates across cultures, languages -- the entire human race. That's why, every week, a beloved Utah pastor delivers a lesson that's just one sentence long: "I love you and there ain't nothing you can do about it."
The Lesson
The moment you enter the Calvary Baptist Church in Salt Lake City, the gospel choir starts to sing. The music bounces off the chapel walls as the service gets underway. And before anyone can settle down, the congregation jumps to its feet and joins the choir in a song about love.
"So easy... so easy... easy to love," they belt out together, dancing and hugging -- a smile on every face.
When the singing stops, Pastor France Davis approaches the pulpit. His voice -- confident and deep -- resonates across the room.
"Turn to your neighbors," he cries. "Take them by the hand, look them in the face and repeat after me."
Everybody's excited, people laugh, people rejoice, they get motivated and moved.
–Pastor Davis
The congregation frantically looks from side-to-side for someone to grab onto.
"I love you," bellows Davis.
The crowd echoes, "I love you."
"And there ain't nothing you can do about it," finishes Davis.
"And there ain't nothing you can do about it," the crowd repeats as members erupt in giggles. Again, they jump to their feet. But instead of singing, they walk around the chapel and hug each other.
"Everybody's excited, people laugh, people rejoice, they get motivated and moved," Davis says, sitting in a pew as members exit the chapel.
Reflecting on the past 39 years at Calvary Baptist Church, Davis can't remember a time when this lesson was not part of his sermon. In fact, he calls it the most important part of the service, a moment he and his assistants make time for -- twice -- every single Sunday.
"As a church, coming together, it's important that we put aside those artificial lines that separate us and come together as one," he says. "It's about how we instill in people a genuine kind of love that is not just talk, but it's action."
In Spite Of Love
"Love, to me, it doesn't matter who you are, if you need help, then I'm willing to do that," says member Carolyn Bass.
Carolyn Smith, a church Deaconess says, "Love is suffering. Love is long. Love is patient. Love is kind. That's what love is."
The type of love Davis teaches about is not romantic in nature, nor is it the brotherly love that exists between family and friends. Instead, it's a type of love focused on understanding and having compassion for human dignity, no matter who a person is or what they believe.
Love, to me, it doesn't matter who you are, if you need help, then I'm willing to do that.
–Carolyn Bass
"It's the highest level of love that we're talking about," says Davis. "A love that goes beyond any kind of differences and yet brings people together in spite of. It's what we call in spite of love."
Davis believes this "in spite of love" builds strong, caring communities, which is something that's been falling through the cracks in this new era of technology and social media. He says people are starting to replace important physical, interactive, face-to-face relationships, with text messages and emails. It's why he feels his lesson is more relevant than ever before.
"We need that interactive social relationship. And this love -- I love you and there's nothing you can do about it -- is a reminder of just how important that is," he says. "We don't have time to build relationships so we come here and take an opportunity to do that every Sunday."
Everybody Does It
It's just a good thing to be able to give to somebody else, a smile on their face at the end of the day. You don't know what folks are going through in their daily lives, so to walk up to a complete stranger and let them know that you love them and they can't do anything about it is just a tremendous feeling.
–Tyrone Corbin
"Nobody's ever really said, ‘What is this all about?'" says Davis.
Still, every single person in the congregation, member or not, participates in the interactive love lesson. Occasionally, celebrities even join in.
"A friendly smile does everybody some good," says Tyrone Corbin, head coach of the Utah Jazz.
Corbin has attended Calvary Baptist Church for the past seven years, as often as his demanding NBA schedule allows. He says he's used to hearing ‘I love you' from fans, but when it comes from somebody in church, it's different.
"It's always good to hear that we love you and I don't care, you can't do anything about it. It's just a great thing," he says.
And no matter how famous Corbin gets, he never has a problem telling a stranger he loves them.
"It's just a good thing to be able to give to somebody else, a smile on their face at the end of the day," he says. "You don't know what folks are going through in their daily lives, so to walk up to a complete stranger and let them know that you love them and they can't do anything about it is just a tremendous feeling."
And that's the point. To feel love for and accept it from someone else, no questions asked.
Church member, L.J. Jones sums it up: "When a person's looking at you and you're telling them that, they're just going to be like, well thank you, you know? They might be shocked. You never know! I could just say ‘I love you' right now, you can't do nothing about it, besides be happy."
E-mail: kmccord@ksl.com, liwilliams@ksl.com
