critical of Calpurnia bringing white children to their Black church. Unfortunately, Lula is the first person who approaches them when they arrive, and her adversarial demeanor influences Jem to suggest they leave.

After Calpurnia stands up to Lula, the remainder of the congregation approaches and greets them with open arms. Zeebo, Calpurnia's son, politely addresses Jem, tells the Finches they are "mighty glad" to have them, and encourages them to pay no attention to Lula. Reverend Sykes also greets the children, leads them to the front pew, and begins his message by stating,

Brethren and sisters, we are particularly glad to have company with us this morning. Mister and Miss Finch.

Zeebo, Reverend Sykes, and Calpurnia make Jem and Scout feel welcome in the foreign environment, and the Finch children are fascinated by various aspects of the service. Following the service, Jem and Scout chat with Reverend Sykes, who tries his best to answers Scout's questions. He also tells them,

We were ‘specially glad to have you all here ... This church has no better friend than your daddy."

The majority of the Black community appreciates Atticus defending Tom Robinson, which is one of the reasons they go out of their way to make Jem and Scout feel welcome in their church. Overall, Jem and Scout enjoy their experience and are grateful for being treated with such hospitality.

In Chapter 12 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird when Jem and Scout enter the all-black church with Calpurnia, they are at first given a very mixed reception that leads them to feel unwelcome. The men at the church are very respectful, but the women display an attitude of judgement and distrust echoed in comments made by Lula.

Scout describes in her narration that, when the congregation outside of the church saw the children walking towards the church door with Calpurnia, the men "stepped back and took off their hats." Stepping back is a respectful gesture because, in stepping back, they are making room for Calpurnia to walk down the path with the children. Plus, a gentleman taking off his hat in greeting is always a sign of respect. However, while the men take off their hats, the women cross "their arms at their waists." Scout uses verbal irony to call both of these gestures "weekday gestures of respectful attention," yet crossing one's arms is a complicated gesture not linked to a show of respect. We cross our arms to give ourselves comfort or to restrain ourselves when feeling stressed, insecure, anxious, or afraid. We often do it when we are seriously focused on an issue ("9 Truths Exposing a Myth About Body Language,"Psychology Today). Hence, the women crossing their arms is a sign that they are seriously examining the situation of the white children being present because they are not fully comfortable with it.

The women's discomfort is echoed in Lula's comments as she accosts Calpurnia, saying, "I wants to know why you bringin' white chillun to nigger church." These comments make Scout and Jem feel like they are unwelcome at the church.

Yet, while Lula's comments may reflect what other women in Calpurnia's church are thinking, all women but Lula are willing to be led by the more reasonable men. Led by the men, the rest of the congregation chases Lula away, and "Zeebo, the garbage collector" is the first to say that the congregation is "mighty glad to have you all here." Due to Zeebo's warm welcome, followed by Reverend Sykes's greeting, the children feel at ease and stay for the service.

Jem and Scout are treated with the utmost respect from the congregation of the First Purchase Church--with one exception. When Calpurnia's friends first saw her with Jem and Scout,

... the men stepped back and took off their hats; the women crossed their arms at their waists, weekday gestures of respectful attention.

But one woman objected to the presence of the white children at the black church.

     "I wants to know why you bringin' white chillun to nigger church."

The question came from Lula, a "bullet-headed" woman with an "Indian-bow mouth." She didn't care for Cal's decision to accompany Jem and Scout.

"... they got their church, we got our'n."

Lula's objection to their presence caused Jem to tell Cal that they should return home, but in a flash, the remainder of the congregation soon crowded Lula out of the way, and

When I looked down the pathway again, Lula was gone.

After that, Jem and Scout were made to feel at home. Reverend Sykes "led us to the front pew," announced their presence from the pulpit, and he made time to speak with the children afterwards. Scout is so impressed that she asks Cal if she can visit her at her own house in the Quarters some day.

In Chapter 12 of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, when Calpurnia determines that she has little choice other than to take Jem and Scout with her to the Colored peoples’ church, it is a major event for her.  As Lee describes Calpurnia’s mobilization to prepare the Finch children for this unusual outing, the African American housekeeper clearly views this as a serious endeavor:

“If Calpurnia had ever bathed me roughly before, it was nothing compared to her supervision of that Saturday night’s routine. She made me soap all over twice, drew fresh water in the tub for each rinse; she stuck my head in the basin and washed it with Octagon soap and castile. She had trusted Jem for years, but that night she invaded his privacy and provoked an outburst: “Can’t anybody take a bath in this house without the whole family lookin‘?”

“Next morning she began earlier than usual, to “go over our clothes.”

Calpurnia knows that taking the Caucasian Finch children to the African American church just outside of town will be seen by the other African American churchgoers as a rare sight with the potential to shock, which is precisely the reaction she and the children receive upon approaching the church:

“When they saw Jem and me with Calpurnia, the men stepped back and took off their hats; the women crossed their arms at their waists, weekday gestures of respectful attention. They parted and made a small pathway to the church door for us. Calpurnia walked between Jem and me, responding to the greetings of her brightly clad neighbors.”

For young children like Jem and Scout who have never been exposed to such a scene, their sentiments would definitely lean towards discomfort, a sensation certainly exacerbated by the first person to address them, Lula, clearly an ornery figure known to try to incite others.  Attempting to take Calpurnia to task for what Lula sees as Cal's imprudence, she immediately criticizes her actions, telling her neighbor that bringing white children to the black church is out-of-line:

“Lula stopped, but she said, ‘You ain’t got no business bringin‘ white chillun here—they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal?’”

Unsurprisingly, Jem and Scout become fearful and ask Calpurnia to take them home.  Before she can respond, however, the children are greeted in a more kind and respectful manner by the others.  As Scout describes the scene, it becomes clear that Lula’s anger at the presence of the white children is not shared by the other churchgoers:

“When I looked down the pathway again, Lula was gone. In her place was a solid mass of colored people.  One of them stepped from the crowd. It was Zeebo, the garbage collector. “Mister Jem,” he said, “we’re mighty glad to have you all here. Don’t pay no ‘tention to Lula, she’s contentious because Reverend Sykes threatened to church her. She’s a troublemaker from way back, got fancy ideas an’ haughty ways—we’re mighty glad to have you all.”

The cordiality with which Jem and Scout are greeted by the members of Cal’s church clearly stands in contrast to what the reader of Lee’s novel know would be the situation if African American children were brought to the white church.  Lee humanizes the African Americans at the church and shows them to be eminently decent individuals.  The fate of Tom Robinson, however, would illuminate the disparities in the humanity separating the races in the town of Maycomb.

To be honest, Scout and Jem encounter a couple of different reactions to their appearance at Calpurnia's church. First, it is very obvious that Calpurnia is very excited to have them attending her church. She works very hard making their clothes and the children themselves presentable for her friends.

However, when Calpurnia and the children arrive at the church, they are first accosted by a lady named Lula who wants to know why these 'white children' have been brought to their church. She very specifically states that they have thier own church and do not welcome Calpurnia there so why should they welcome the children at First Purchase?

Consequently, a large congregation squeezes Lula out and tells Calpurnia and the children to pay no attention to her. The rest of the members of the church are happy to have the children there because it is their father who is representing Tom Robinson, a very prominent and well-known member at First Purchase. It is obvious that their acceptance of the children comes from their families acceptance of Tom and his plight. The Finch family is held in very high regard by the church, and Atticus Finch's family is welcome there whenever they would like to stop by.

The reception at Calpurnia's church is mixed. The first woman to approach them is decidedly unfriendly, and essentially says that they have no place there. Scout gets a strong sense they don't belong.

Others, though, make them welcome.

With the exception of Lula, the other members of the congregation treat Jem and Scout with distant respect.

When Scout and Jem visit Calpurnia’s church, they meet some members of her congregation and learn how the other half lives.

When they saw Jem and me with Calpurnia, the men stepped back and took off their hats; the women crossed their arms at their waists, weekday gestures of respectful attention. (Ch. 12)

These people see Scout and Jem as employers, not as company as Calpurnia describes them, but they treat them respectfully.  Scout is surprised by how little they have at this church.  It is clean, but sparse.  The graves are decorated with soda bottle color and there are no hymn books because no one can read.  It is a reminder of the poverty and lack of opportunity in this community.  Although Lula makes trouble, Reverand Sykes welcomes them and most of the others make no mention of them.

The most notable event at the church service is the collection for Tom Robinson’s family.  It reminds Scout and Jem that Tom is not just one man in trouble.  His whole family is in trouble.  It also shows that while the entire town of Maycomb might be collectively joining together against Tom, at least this community is collectively joining together to help him.

Calpurnia’s position in the community is highlighted in this chapter.  As a member of the Finch household, she is treated more equally than most black servants.  She was also given an education, and passed it on to her son.  This makes her an anomaly, and allows her to straddle two worlds.  While this is an advantage sometimes, the incident with Lula shows that it can place her in certain social situations where it can be a disadvantage too.  This is a side of Cal we have not seen yet.