Allie McDonald Church Visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Community Church

Church address: 3827 W. Ogden Chicago, IL 60623 

Date attended: October 11, 2015

Church category: Different socio-economic level 

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

Lawndale was full of life from the minute we walked in. We were a good 20 minutes early which I think is a record for me for church services but even then we were greeted kindly by a couple ladies who gave us a program for the service. The worship was very vibrant and many people dance along and raised their hands. There was much more freedom and more encouragement to move than the church I normally attend. However, freshman year I was in the gospel choir so it was so fun to sing some of the same songs and have that freedom in worship. The sharing of prayer requests was also something that was different and new to me. Couch's sermon almost seemed like a motivational speech but I think also because the theme was being renewed in Christ in our health, particularly in smoking and obesity. 

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

I loved the worship and the encouragement to praise God with our whole being. This is something that I definitely miss when I attend my home church, especially no longer being in gospel choir. The sharing of prayer request was awesome to me. On the way home we discussed how you could feel that the church was also a community and not just a church that gathered once a week. We talked about how sharing prayer requests like that would probably not fly in our churches because we just don't feel comfortable enough with our congregations. We loved that Lawndale felt like a big family that took care of one another. 

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

There were some technical difficulties and the first song did not have any words on the screen. However, this didn't seem to be an issue for most of the congregation because they knew the song well and were able to sing it with out the words. That example just made me aware of how comfortable they were in their own worship context and made me realize that while I thought I was comfortable, I needed the scaffolding of the words on the screen. I would say in a couple small ways this carried into the sermon, just in the way people felt naturally led to respond vocally or in body language, and I felt like a stiff white girl sitting listening and taking notes. It has made me think about the various postures or even norms of worship we bring into a service and how mine could be so different from a regular attendee of lawndale. 

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 church I grew up in and the church I currently attend very much value having a pastor that has gone to seminary and has a deep theological training. My pastor growing up gave us the greek and all the historical context and sure, he wove in life application but he really wanted to teach us the Word in a way that was very "theologically sound". Like I mentioned before, Coach's sermon was almost a motivational speech to me, but it was so interesting and effective. He took us through so much practical application and really brought the word that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and we need to respond to that. I think there is so much value in just letting Scripture convicting us to change as Coach did.