Allison Collins- Church visit #1

Allison Collins – Church visit #1

Church name: Second Baptist

Church address: 1520 Avery Ave. Wheaton, IL 60187

Date Attended: September 13, 2015

Church category: Different racial demographic

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

I attended worship at Second Baptist Church in Wheaton. The congregation is almost entirely African American. On the Sunday that I went, there were only three people at the service who were not black, there was one white couple and myself. It was evident that there was a bond and sense of family among the people who attended much more than I have ever experienced at my home churches. At churches that I attend the greeting part of the service is very short and does not go beyond a hand shake and hello. There the greeting portion lasted for several minutes and the whole congregation was milling about the sanctuary having real conversations because they actually knew one another. During the teaching portion of the service the preacher did not use any notes but spoke from his memory with energy and passion which I am not accustomed to.  

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

The teaching time was typical of what one might expect from a southern Baptist church. The preacher was boisterous and charismatic. As he spoke it was clear that the congregation was engaged because of their vocal indicators of assent. It was this enthusiasm and passion for the word of God that was appealing to me. The people had an excitement and joy about what the pastor was bringing to them. We always affirm that the bible is living and active and something to be excited about, but to me they embodied it and lived that out more than I had seen in a church before. I heard a pastor say once that it is a crime to make church boring because we do not serve a boring God. Instead we serve the creator of the universe who is worthy of awe. They seemed to grasp this more than other people I know and worship with.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

The aspect of the service that was most disorienting for me was the level of participation that the congregation has at Second Baptist. For all of the guests who are visiting they take a portion of the service where each guest is given an opportunity to speak and introduce themselves to the church and share what brought them there on that Sunday. It was abundantly clear that I was a visitor. I stood out like a sore thumb, but I was too scared to raise my hand and speak to the congregation so I said nothing and they all graciously ignored my lack of participation. I am used to attending church in a more anonymous context and this was so far out of my comfort zone.   

What aspect of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

I think Second Baptist did a great job of modeling to me what the bible says that it means to be the church and the body of Christ. The people of the congregation were warm and welcoming. From the moment I rode up on my bike (my mode of transportation prompted a few comments) they greeted and welcomed me. The church members really knew each other as people and not just superficially. Though in not being a part of it was uncomfortable for me, their practice of a lengthy time of greeting and fellowship in the service was genuine and showed their love for one another. I think that the churches that I am accustom to talk about being the body of Christ much more than they put it into practice but the people of Second Baptist Church in Wheaton got it.