Denise Garcia- Church Visit #3

Church Name: St. Michael Catholic Church

Church Address: 310 S Wheaton Ave, Wheaton, IL 60187

Date Attended: October 29, 2015

Church Category: Liturgical (higher)

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

I attended a morning mass at 8 a.m. on Thursday. The church holds mass twice daily, one at 6:30 a.m. and another at 8 a.m. aside from their services on Saturday and Sunday.  The service was different from my regular context in many ways. Upon entering the church sanctuary, there is a pool of water, which I later learned was the baptismal pool to remind Catholics that they come to the Eucharist and are able to partake of the body and blood of Christ through baptism. Before each person sat in their pew, they knelt and made the sign of the cross (we did not do this, so it was very obvious we weren’t catholic). The mass also did not start with a time of worship; rather songs were inserted in between the liturgy. The mass ended at 8:30 a.m., and I was surprised by how short it was, especially the priest’s message. I think he took less than 10 minutes to preach that morning.

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

I found having to kneel at certain parts of the mass appealing, as it helped me recognize that I am approaching a holy God in prayer and worship. While God is personal and is my friend, it is also important to realize that God is the Almighty God and deserves utmost respect and reverence. He is to be elevated and glorified, and the act of kneeling down before God aided in fostering an attitude of humility, as well as remaining present in all aspects during the service. When the members took part in the Eucharist, I found it interesting that they all drank from the same cup. It highlighted the significance  of coming together as a community and as a body of believers to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

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

I was bothered by the slightly rushed atmosphere of the mass. At the end of the service, the priest leading the mass was standing outside the sanctuary to greet people, and I overheard him explaining to one lady that he was having issues with his back and was not feeling very well. I think this explained the urgent atmosphere of the entire mass, especially when he was preaching. It was also hard to figure out what was going on--when to pray, stand, sit, or kneel--because we did not have the booklet that contained the liturgy which guided the service.

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

The worship service illuminated the rich roots of the faith to me. Though St. Michael was renovated fairly recently, when I stepped into the parish it was clear that it still resembled the earliest European churches built centuries ago. Some other things that pointed to the historical roots of the Catholic tradition included the special robe worn by the priest and children who also performed special rituals, statues and paintings of saints, and stained glass panels that depicted particular events in the Bible, as well as other spiritual images like the dove to symbolize the Holy Spirit.

Denise Garcia- Church Visit #2

Church Name: Lawndale Community Church

Church Address: 3827 W Ogden, Chicago, IL 60623

Date Attended: October 25, 2015

Church Category: Lower socioeconomic demographic

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

On Sunday I attended Lawndale Community Church whose members are mostly from the nearby low-income neighborhoods. Overall, the worship service I attended was similar to my regular context. We were welcomed by enthusiastic greeters, and the service included a call to worship, announcements, worship, and ended with a benediction. One of the differences included having the police commander of the district introduce himself and address the congregation asking them to pray for his work and help keep the community safe. Another difference is that before Pastor Wayne Gordon preached, he asked the children to come up on stage not only to pray for them and dismiss them to sunday school, but he also taught a short lesson to them as a way to connect the adult congregation with the children.

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

In their website, Lawndale Community Church states their mission is “to redeem the “Lawndale Community”... to bring holistic revitalization to the lives and environment of its residents.” The most appealing aspect of the worship service was Prayer and Praise where people stand and tell the congregation about things they’re grateful for and for those things they would want prayer for. I felt that the Prayer and Praise part was really powerful because it testified to the work God is continuing to do in Lawndale through the church and the other resources it provides. Prayer and Praise also allowed the people to be known by the community on a more personal level, and it also had a way of deepening the bond among the people in the church. I specifically remember when Pastor Gordon welcomed back a church member whose prayer request was answered through his restored health.

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

In his message that Sunday about emotions and the power of the tongue, Pastor Gordon used examples about crime and violence. It was hard to hear and realize that similar events of crime and violence happen on a regular basis in Lawndale and are very real and can even be considered part of what is normal for the church members.

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

The worship service illuminated the power of Christ to me, especially His power to truly set people free. In Lawndale, having Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior means being able to live victoriously through Christ--free from things like drug addiction, participating in violent crimes, murder, and harmful and abusive relationships. Church members come without pretense; they come just as they are and testify openly about serious personal struggles. I don’t think I have ever heard so many personal testimonies about real and ongoing struggles in a regular Sunday service.

KC Gouthro - Church Visit #3

Church name: Willow Creek Casa de Luz 

Church address: 67 E. Algonquin Road South Barrington, IL 60010

Date attended: October 25, 2015

Church category: Different Ethic or Racial Demographic 

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

Of all three church visits, this service was the one that was closest to what I am used to, other than it being presented in another language. It opened with a few worship songs, moved into communion, then a message presented by the pastor focusing on Nehemiah Chapter 10. The one thing that was different was the handling of communion. It was done after worship is a hurried fashion, so hurried that we were passing around the bread and the wine while we were still singing the last song. This I found odd, because my church often does communion at the end specifically so they can have time set aside in order to allow a sufficient amount of reflection time to prepare the congregation for approaching the Lord’s table. Otherwise, it was almost identical to the experience I was used to, right down to the fill-in-the-blank page so you could follow along and outline the sermon. This is probably due to the fact that I attend a church very similar to Willow Creek. 

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

Other than communion, there was nothing that jumped out at me as different or interesting in the sermon. That being said, my friends and I did have an interesting interaction with a greeter as we approached the sanctuary to attend the service. My two friends and I, all white, were walking toward the door saying hello to the greeter and extending our hands to receive the pamphlet she was handing out to the other people walking through the door. When she got to us, she repeatedly asked us if we were lost and emphasized that the service would be in Spanish. Even after responding to her in Spanish and explaining that we were aware of that and wanted to be there, she still did not seem to understand why three white girls would be trying to attend the Spanish service. Another greeter ended up giving us pamphlets and escorting us to open seats where we noticed that we were, indeed, the only while people in the congregation. This whole interaction was very interest and serves as a reflection on the barrier that exist between congregations of different ethnic or racial backgrounds. 

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

Even though Wheaton has deemed me "competent" in my Spanish speaking abilities, it was still challenging to keep up with the worship and the sermon. The worship was tricky because they used the melodies of songs I often sing, but since it was song in Spanish, the words and specific meanings of the songs had been altered. This made it difficult to remain in sync with everyone else. The sermon was also challenging to understand fully, as I do not have a very big Spanish vocabulary for discussing deep theological subjects. The one thing I found most disorienting was when the older woman sitting next to me not only kissed me during our time to greet others around us, but also patiently waited for me to return the sentiment. I have never experienced anything like that before in greetings at my home church, but I am glad I got to experience this cultural distinction.

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

The sermon on this section of Nehemiah focused solely on the promises made to God. Specifically, the promises to listen to and do God's will, to be faithful to God, to rest in the Lord, and to be generous in service to the house of God. I appreciated this because most of the sermons I have heard on promises found in the bible have had to do with the promises that God has made to us. These promises are extremely important and I enjoy learning about them, but I think it is also important to look at the promises God’s people have made to Him, especially in the instances where humanity ends up falling short and breaking these promises. Although no new material or thought process was presented to me during this service, I was glad to spend some time reflecting on these promises along with the promises I have made to God. 

Rachel Thomson --Church Vist #2

Church name: Warehouse Church

Church address: 308 E Galena Blvd, Aurora, IL 60505

Date attended: October 25^th, 2015

Church category: Lower Socioeconomic Demographic (10 mi. away)

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

                   The best way to describe the worship service at Warehouse Church would be to think of a weekly family meeting.  The service was comprised of a couple initial worship songs, followed by a long series of announcements from both the pastors and the congregation expressing needs within the body, opportunities to help as well as upcoming social events and concerts the church is hosting.  Following this was an impromptu prayer time for one man in the congregation.  After a few more songs and a skit performed by the church’s acting group, Parables, the service continued into the sermon and application by the pastor (with further help from Parables) in a casual yet scripturally sound fashion.  It was obvious that this church put a large emphasis on building relationships within the church and making every attendee feel welcome and loved.  This is fairly similar to the church context I come from (at my home church in Louisiana).  Although Warehouse Church was less structured and consisted of people of all different walks of life, including a large motorcyclist community, the general feel of participation and welcome felt similar to the church I attended throughout my childhood.

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

                  The most appealing thing about Warehouse Church was the obvious appreciation and utilization of everyone’s unique gifts and abilities.  It was evident that the church was operating under a “we’re all in this together” mentality and was therefore drawing on the contributions of every member of the congregation to make the church thrive.  For example, there were at least five different members making announcements for various happenings in the church from needed help moving equipment for a coming band to a weekly prayer group to asking for visitors for a member with cancer.  These announcements were made casually and referred to everyone else by first names reflecting how well the congregation knew each other. 

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

                  What I found most challenging about the worship service was the sense that I did not quite belong.  Kira and I obviously stood out among the congregation and all I kept thinking was “I hope they don’t find out I’m only here for a class.”  I felt a certain sense of shame for the wealth God has blessed me with, but also a freedom in knowing that I was still worshiping the same God as everyone else at Warehouse Church.  It was challenging knowing that although I did not wear my sins on my sleeve like many of the “rougher” members of the congregation, I was still just as sinful, broken, and in need of forgiveness.  Putting all the education I’ve had on theology and scripture aside, the fact of the matter is that these people are truly seeking to love and serve Jesus with all that they have and all that they know.  Can I say the same?

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

                  Much like my other church visit to a Catholic Mass, my visit to Warehouse Church reminded me of God’s grander vision for humanity.  He is working in all different contexts and in many different ways to draw humanity to Himself.  Warehouse Church specifically reminded me of the daily need to be different.  As the pastor spoke of the works of Saul and Paul, he emphasized both the depravity that our sin is as well as the freedom Christ gives us to now live differently.  I cannot imagine living the lives of many members of Warehouse Church (some not being able to afford gas or rent) but it is refreshing to know that as Christians and sinners, we  are all in this together, seeking Christ and the gospel for the sake of the almighty one who made and sustains us.

Becca Hamilton - Church Visit #3

Church Name: Uptown Baptist Church

Church Address: 1011 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago, IL 60640

Date Attended: October 25, 2015

Church category: Different ethnic or racial demographic 

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

My experience was unique in the fact that I actually apart of the service as a member of the Wheaton College Concert Choir. We sang as the worship music for the service that Sunday. Though we sang mostly classical music and classical gospel style music, which is different from what the church is used to, the church responded very positively. Once we were finished singing, I noticed that the structure of the service was fairly similar to a church with my race as the majority, though they did take a very long section in the service to recognize all of the pastors and their families for their service to the church. Another aspect that was different was that the audience was much more lively and responsive than what I am used to. Even during our classical music and classical gospel songs they would stand, cry, and wave their hands in the air.

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

I really enjoyed the section of the service when the leaders of the church took time to recognize the pastors and their families for all they do. A leader from each group that meets in the church, like the women’s prayer group, the children’s department, the men’s prayer group, and the new member class, all got up to say how the pastors had impacted them. Even the children got up and gave the pastors crafts they had made. To take the time to recognize the hard work of the pastors and their families is something I have never seen, and yet is a real shame because the pastors of churches sacrifice so much for their congregation.  Though pastors are called to be humble, it was refreshing to see a congregation overflowing with gratitude by recognizing the pastors for their hard work.

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

The most challenging part of this service for me was feeling uncomfortable about being an all white choir coming into an almost all black church and singing classical music for a service that is usually rocking and dancing on a Sunday morning. Though I knew the pastors wanted us there and the congregation as incredibly kind, I still felt out of place in a way because we were doing something very out of the ordinary for this church. To be a minority in this situation and then do something out of the ordinary on top of that initially seemed to be asking too much. However, by the end of the service the congregation seemed to have appreciated the experience as much as I had.

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

I saw more clearly the unity of the body of Christ through this experience. Though we were groups of different ethnicity and background, we came together to share in a very special time of worshiping the same God together. Even though in the moments leading up to the service I was uncomfortable about how the experience might be received, I learned that the people of Christ are very open and are able to worship together in different styles even if it is unfamiliar at first. I felt so loved as members of the congregation flooded me with hand shakes and hugs as we talked at the conclusion of the service. God truly is a unifying and all-encompassing God.

Beth Yan--Church Visit #3

Church Name: Iglesia Del Pueblo
Church Address: 27W500 North Avenue, West Chicago, Illinois 60185
Date Attended: 25 October 2015
Church Category:  Different ethnic or racial demographic

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context? 
This service--while structurally similar to church services I am familiar with--was radically different in that it was in a different language. While I can fluently understand Spanish, it is certainly not a language I typically worship in. Interestingly, it was a missionary weekend so the service was conducted in both Spanish and English which is not the way service is done at this church on most weeks. This service was otherwise quite familiar to me: we opened with a call to worship, worshipped through music, took offering, read Scripture as a congregation, listened to service, and closed with more music. There was a lot more music incorporated into the worship than I am used it, as the initial musical worship portion of the service lasted around forty minutes. 

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

I have attended bilingual services before but really appreciated the way this service incorporated both English and Spanish. Instead of translating phrases one by one, the speaker alternated between each language fluidly. While there were some things that he said in Spanish without explicitly translating into English or vice versa, he summarized his thoughts in a way that allowed the message to ultimately be conveyed clearly in both languages. It was a beautiful way to see the organic integration of two distinct cultures into one worship service. 

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

The most disorienting thing about this service was that it was bilingual. Additionally, while the pastor did his best to integrate both Spanish and English into the service without repeating each sentence verbatim, there were some scenarios in which I thought the message was conveyed better in the other language.

What aspects of scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
Since I have spent most of my life attending churches where the majority of the congregation shares a primary language with me and lives a similar lifestyle as me, visiting a church that had a wide variety of backgrounds was very novel. The sermon discussed the topic of immigration--thus this variety was even more apparent. At one point, the pastor asked members of the congregation to raise their hands when he named their country of origin. An enormous number of countries was represented. When Paul speaks of unity in the early church, I often forget that there were many differences between the members of the congregation. Language barriers seemed like a large difference to overcome but in comparison to the ethnic divisions and the associated stereotypes that the early church had to overcome, this seemed to be less hindering. I enjoyed being able to participate in a worship service that integrated two distinct cultures in a way that respected both while still achieving an overall sense of unity as church. 

Matt Paprocki - Chruch Visit 2

Iglesia del Pueblo – Wheaton Bible Church

27W500 North Avenue, West Chicago, IL 60185

10/25/2015

Hispanic Nondenominational

                The service was both similar and different at Iglesia del Pueblo in Wheaton Bible Church. The service was similar in having worship songs, an oral message from a pastor, and prayer. The worship songs dominated the first 45 minutes of the service. The audience went back and forth between standing and sitting while being a part of the bands performance of worship songs. This was much different from the church experience I am used to where two worship songs are performed at the introduction of the service and then two songs usually conclude the service. The band played only a couple songs but extended them and broke them apart for prayer at certain points rather than playing through the entire song. All the songs were very thankful to Jesus for laying down His life for our sake. A theme appeared to be the fulfilling of the Father’s wrath towards us with Christ’s own life. I had never thought to observe any sort of theme in either worship songs or from a pastor’s message until the Christus Victor lecture recently.

                What I found most interesting was the message from the pastor. After the extended period of worship songs the pastor spoke about migration. I found this interesting as it was something I personally am not used to hearing about while in church. Understanding the demographic though caused it to make sense as those in the largely Hispanic audience quite possibly could have moved to this community from a Hispanic country. I also found a connection here with the Christus Victor lecture in how the message of the service was geared to the audience who spoke primarily Spanish so probably has a strong connection to their Hispanic origins. The pastor cited 1 Peter 1 and 2 about how those who migrated were all God’s people, regardless of the territory from which they traveled. Attending this service showed me how relevant and impactful this topic could be for those who may have moved to the community from a different culture.

                The most challenging part of the service was the language barrier. My Spanish is quite rusty and while I was able to follow along to a degree I still found myself lost at times during the service. Being in an environment where I could not understand the primary language highlighted the difficulties those in the audience, who primarily speak Spanish, may have being in a country where their native language is not commonly used. I gained understanding and appreciation for the hard work that goes into trying to follow along in a different language. At the same time though attending Iglesia del Pueblo showed how God’s word and the community of the church is in one understanding. I never felt too lost knowing that I was part of a community, while only for a morning, that’s message was one I could understand.

                The service was based on migration and utilized Scripture from 1 Peter 1 and 2. As I mentioned before I never would have viewed this topic as so impactful but being in a setting where the audience possibly was not originally from the surrounding community showed me how relevant a message migration was to the audience. It talked about being a believer and follower of Christ as the true community. It did not matter if one was not from a certain town or country, as long as they followed Christ they were not foreigners. The message on a sense of belonging was definitely new to me, relative to my usual church setting, but a great reminder of how welcoming I should be of those who may be unfamiliar to a community.

Beth Yan--Church Visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Community Church

Church address: 3827 W Ogden, Chicago, IL 60623

Date attended: 11 October 2015
Church category: Lower Socioeconomic Demographic

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

I attended Sunday morning service at Lawndale Community Church. Many parts of the service were familiar to me. The beginning of the service included worshiping through song and reading of scripture. The worship style was different from what I have previously experienced, as it was very upbeat. It was a joy to watch and worship alongside the congregation. Additionally, there was both a worship band and a gospel choir. We then transitioned into a time of praise and prayer where members of the congregation were invited to share stories with the rest of the church. Another part of service that was unfamiliar to me was a short message directed to the children of the church. Coach called all the children up to the stage and used a simple metaphor to illustrate the larger theme of the sermon series. The sermon had some familiar elements to it such as references to scripture but made a very deliberate effort emphasize the practical application of the message. 

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

I really enjoyed the time of sharing. I greatly admired the vulnerability of those who shared praise and prayer and felt that the community was more tightly knit because of this experience. Due to the fact that people were sharing details from their lives--daily conflicts in parenting, health concerns, struggles with substance abuse--it felt like the entire community was being invited to participate in the day to day happenings of the particular individual's life. This created a very intimate sense of community, which was enhanced by the enthusiasm the congregation expressed after each individual spoke.

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

While this was not necessarily challenging, I was disoriented by the down-to-earth practicality of the message. Coach made a specific effort to galvanize people into action. The sermon discussed how to treat your physical body as the temple of God. He mentioned the harmfulness of actions such as living a sedentary lifestyle and smoking. He then offered ways to combat such issues: discounted rates to a gym associated with the church, encouraging testimonies from people in the congregation who had quit smoking or lost a drastic amount of weight. I think the churches I am used to tend take a more academic approach where the application is left to the individual. It was a very different experience to have concrete examples of how to further apply the message. 

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

Similarly to the response above, I think Lawndale Community Church really emphasized the importance of taking a message from the Scriptures and applying it to everyday life. I have found that it can be very easy to listen to a message on Sunday morning, agree with the message presented, and desire to change. However, this can die out by the time Monday rolls around and no distinct change is ever made. I think the structure of the sermon on LCC made it very easy to take steps toward change. For me, this illuminated the importance of applying the lessons learnt from scripture to daily life.

Jonathan Griffin - Church Visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Community Church

Church address: 3827 W Ogden, Chicago, IL 60623

Date attended: 25-Oct-2015

Church category: Lower Socioeconomic Demographic

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

My visit to Lawndale Community Church began as I entered into a lively gymnasium filled with people ready to praise the Lord. Shortly after, a few people began to lead worship on the main platform and everyone eventually found their seats. There was a passage from the Bible read in unison just before the choir took the stage. Later on, another passage from Scripture was read, there was a “Prayer and Praise” time, and the service transitioned into the sermon. Just before Coach began speaking, he led a small lesson for the children of the church on the main stage, much like I remember participating in when I was younger at my own church. As far as the structure of the service, not much was strikingly different than my normal Sunday morning experience. However, many differences did become visible through the style of worship, the prayer and praise time, and the areas targeted by the sermon being preached.

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

The most interesting and appealing part of this worship service was most definitely the singing by the choir and as a congregation. Rarely, if at all, do I see people really getting into and feeling the music. At Lawndale however, the congregation was clapping, dancing, singing, and giving praise to God. Truly, it was a remarkable experience and one I wish happened more at my normal church. The room possessed a freeing atmosphere as a product of the genuine and real praises to God from the people of the church. There was no element of recitation or going through the motions, as I commonly witness at my own church. People were just praising the Lord, as they felt led to. I also loved the Prayer and Praise portion of the service. By having an open microphone for people of the church, their needs and praises can be presented to the congregation in a more personal way than just reading prayer requests from a church bulletin. Both the style of worship and the Prayer and Praise aspects of Lawndale are the things I found most interesting and appealing.

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

Although there were many similarities between LCC and my normal church, there were some striking differences that were challenging for me to work through. Specifically, the style of Coach’s sermon was different than what I was used to. I actually really liked how application-based the message was, but the experiences to which Coach was preaching to were drastically different than anything I had ever experienced. The main passage of Scripture from which he preached spoke about taming the tongue and how practicing self-control of our initial verbal reactions can thwart the escalation into a violent response. Coming from my personal background, the rise of violence out of verbal conflict is uncommon and not something I am used to experiencing. Because of this, the specific areas of application to which Coach preached were not areas I of commonality. On the other hand, this sermon brought awareness of the different perspectives of Scripture and I appreciated hearing the text taught from a different point of view.

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

This worship service was a testament of how connected the church needs to be to all communities. Throughout the entirety of the service, the unity among the church and the community was made evident through how connected the church is to the community members of Lawndale, how active LCC is towards overcoming substantial problems within the community, and how supportive the church is of institutions put in place to protect society. During my typical church services, there rarely seems to be significant programs feeding back into the community in meaningful ways. Upon entering Lawndale, the programs and services offered are made evident. Specifically, I enjoyed how the church coordinated with the local police department to work together in decreasing the violent tension between the community of Lawndale and the police force. As a whole, I have learned how important and beautiful it is to see the people of God working together and pouring into a community. “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in Unity” – Psalm 133:1 (ESV)