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.