Church name: Warehouse Church
Church address: 308 E Galena Blvd, Aurora, IL 60505
Date attended: October 25th,
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment